A Rose by Any Other Name
by Danger-in-Daydreams
Summary: Rose is trying to survive College so she can start doing some good in the world. Working in a hospital serving coffee to tired Doctors, she meets Dr. Dimitri Belikov. Pushed together by friends, she now has to navigate a new relationship, deal with an ex boyfriend that refuses to leave her alone and plan a wedding for her best friend. Good thing she knows how to kick ass.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

 **Rose POV**

I passed the cup of coffee to the guy in front of the counter, his eyes drooping a little as he hands over his card. He must have been an intern –the fact that he had been in several times since I started my shift gave it away. And I had been working here long enough to spot a newbie. I smiled, swiping the card before handing it back to him. A grunt of thanks was all I got in return. To be fair, I was working the graveyard shift tonight, I was lucky to get a grunt. Working in a hospital coffee shop was one of the best jobs and, surprisingly, I actually liked doing the graveyard shifts. It was quieter then my house – living with roommates is never easy - I could actually get some collage work done between customers – if my boss didn't catch me – and some of the doctors here are nice to look at. Not that I'm a creep or anything, but I may have thought about some of them topless.

My favourite fantasy, Dr. Dimitri Belikov, had just walked in. Now this guy was practically sex on legs. At least a foot taller than me, broad shoulders, shoulder length dark hair, deep brown eyes and smart. He was so smart. Everyone one around here called him a God. But if he knew it, he didn't show it. Compared to some of the other surgeons in the building *cough-Alto-cough*, Dimitri's lack of ego surprised me. He rarely smiled, which was a shame. The few times I had seen it, my knees had gone weak and my stomach had erupted in butterflies. I just hoped he hadn't noticed.

Walking besides him was my "friend by association" Dr. Christian Ozera. He had basically been forced into my life by my best friend Lissa when they had started to get serious. We didn't get along at first – I didn't trust him, he was jealous of my relationship with Lissa blah blah blah – but we got over it. He even got me this job as kind of a peace offering between us. I think he wanted more time with Lissa – which he now got with me out of the house. But I needed the money for Grad school so I took it. Besides, I don't think he realised just how much he would have to see me whilst at work considering I controlled the only source of good coffee in the building.

"Hey Sparky." I said as the guys approached. I tried to keep my eyes focused and not travel up and down Dimitri's body, but it was hard. Especially when he was so close. "Rosie" Christian replied, earning a scowl from me "For a smart guy, you're not really that smart are you?" I smiled, grabbing the coffee pot from behind me and waving it in front of his face. "You wouldn't."

"Wouldn't what?" I asked in my most innocent voice as I poured myself a cup of coffee. Best perk about this place, I got to drink all the free coffee I wanted – up to 3 cups on a bad night, I knew my limit.

"Withhold coffee from us."

"Him?" I pointed at Dimitri, who had this little smirk on his face as he watched us bicker. _Don't stare at his lips Rose; don't stare at his lips_. "No. But the guy that just called me Rosie-"

"Only because you called me Sparky."

"Sometimes I wonder how you became a Doctor."

"Haha, can I have a cup of coffee." Christian asked. Smirking a little, I poured him a cup. This was what our relationship had simmered down too, teasing and rude remarks. But it worked for us, and it also got Lissa off our backs.

"And for you Doc?" I asked, turning to Dimitri. "Coffee too, please." He said. I always forget just how sexy his accent is. I'm pretty sure I would listen to my lectures more if he was the one teaching me. Without another word, I poured him a coffee, sliding it over as they handed me their cards. "Have a good night guys." I said as they thanked me and left, going to sit at a table that was still within sight range of the counter. There was nothing really around to distract me from Dimitri – it had been quiet a slow night which was weird. There were people around, but the place wasn't overcrowded which meant that there weren't a lot of tables to clean.

Slipping my notebook out from under the counter, I started to read through my psychology class notes. Why did I have to take this class? The subject wasn't easy, but it would have been okay if my teacher wasn't such a complete moron. I have fallen asleep in his class 3 times, but thankfully he hasn't noticed. He's too busy droning on about how the brain works. As I stared at my notes, my mind started to wonder to the Russian Doctor sitting a couple of tables away from me.

I shouldn't be thinking about him. After my last relationship ended so badly, I shouldn't be thinking about anyone. But Dimitri wasn't just anyone. Why do I do this to myself? It's not like anything is going to happen between us – I've been working here for five months now and we haven't even had a conversation that goes past two lines. But I can't help thinking about him. Lissa is right, maybe I do need to get laid, get the whole sexual frustration thing out of my system. As if I had time for that.

 **Dimitri POV**

"So, are you coming out with us tomorrow night?" Christian asked, sliding into the seat opposite mine. Tomorrow we both had a day off and he had asked me to come to his Anniversary party. I had hoped to avoid it, but he wasn't letting me get away that easily. "Do I have to?" I asked, taking a sip of coffee. It tasted good, unlike the stuff they had in the doctor's lounge; one of the reasons why I liked coming down here. "You promised me man. Come on, it will be a big night for me."

"What do you mean?" I asked, watching him shift in his seat "Well, tomorrow is mine and Lissa's 3 year anniversary. So -" he glanced towards the counter but Rose was busy, her face buried in a book looking confused. She was adorable when she had that look on her face – though I don't think she'd appreciate me calling her adorable. Snapping back to Christian, I took another swig of coffee, savouring the rich, bitter taste in my mouth "I'm going to ask Lissa to marry me."

I almost spat out my coffee. "What?" I asked, slightly shocked. I had known Christian since medical school, and not once had he mentioned wanting to get married. When he had first got with Lissa, he had been so scared about getting into a serious relationship that he had almost broken up with her.

"Yeah, I picked the ring up today." He was smiling

"Congratulations" I smiled, letting the news sink in. It was defiantly good. "You are sure, right?"

"Of course I am. I can't imagine my life without Lissa, she's everything. Knowing I'm coming home to her makes the shifts bearable."

"Alright, save it for the proposal."

"I know I'm just nervous; What if she says no?"

"She's not going to say no."

"How can you be so sure? What if she's not ready for this? We do talk about marriage and stuff, but we've never had that serious conversation. I just can't imagine life without her in it." I gave a side glance towards Rose, who was pouring a coffee for a nurse. She was beautiful, her smile made the bad days feel better, but she had something more to her beyond her obvious beauty. Strength radiated off her, I didn't know her well yet she still left her mark. But there was always something stopping me from talking to her.

"Look, Chris, just ask her. She will say yes, because she loves you. You don't have to get married straight away; you can wait a while and just relax before you start planning. You don't have to figure everything out on your own." Dimitri smiled, though inside, he wasn't feeling too happy; he had been envious of Christian and Lissa's relationship for a while. He wanted a girlfriend that stood beside him; to help him figure things out when things got too much for him to deal with on his own.

There had been a time when I thought I had had that, until Tasha had destroyed me. Lies and manipulation ran deep through our relationship, something I had been too distracted to realise when I was studying. I thought she was faithful until I had caught her in my bed with one of my best friends. Then everything had blown up. She had cried and begged as I shouted at her to get out. I couldn't trust her anymore. She had gone from one of the best things in my life, to the worst in a night. I didn't even realise how crazy she was until she had started to stalk me. Thankfully, I had only a few more weeks of studying left. Then I packed my bags, and came to America wanting a fresh start. I hadn't been able to look at another girl since.

"So you're coming tomorrow night then?"

"Yeah, I'll be there." I said, draining my coffee before heading back up to the surgical wing to check on patients. I needed to stop thinking about relationships. They weren't worth it; Tasha had taught me that.

 **Rose POV**

Tonight had been long and slow. Thankfully, I had managed to read though most of my notes. If I could remember them would be another question. Dr. Belikov hadn't returned, and Christian had only come back one more time to grab another cup of coffee before heading to breakfast with Lissa. She had been staying at his the past couple of nights so I would have an empty flat when I got home. I didn't really look forward to it. I missed my best friend. She had been seeing so much of Christian lately, and I have been spending so much time between classes and picking up a few extra shifts at work that we hadn't had a chance to talk in a while.

I knew I would see her tomorrow night – there was no way I would be able to get out of her anniversary party – but it wasn't really the same. It just felt like there was so much going on at the moment, that I just missed having someone to relax with, have a couple of glasses – or bottles – of wine with and watch some crappy television whilst we bitched about our day. I really needed that right now. But I couldn't bring myself to be the one to tear her away from her boyfriend. They were in such a good place.

Opening the door, it did feel really good to be home. The place was a mess though; with Lissa and Jill – our other roommate – gone I hadn't really had the time or energy to clean. There was a pile of dishes in the sick, the floor was covered in crap and the coffee table was piled high with notes and books. I would have to clean it after I had a nap.

Dropping my bag on the couch, I pressed our answer phone button to check messages whilst sorting through the mail. The bills would need to be paid soon, rent was coming up and then there was –

 _"Hey Rose, it's me Jessie. Look, I'm sorry okay? I know you can forgive me, you're not an idiot. Just take me back, how many times do I have to tell you that she meant nothing to me. I can't stop thinking about you. Especially you, in my bed –"_

 _"Message deleted"_ the answering machine replied as I jammed my finger down on the button as hard as I could. Why was he still calling me up? It had been five months; did he really think he could grovel his way back into my life? What did he not get about the words "I never want to see you again"?

Collapsing on the sofa, my brain started to hurt. I needed the girls here to distract me. If Lissa wasn't out to breakfast with Christian I would call her. Jill was in Palm Springs on a retreat with her cousin, so she was unreachable. We really weren't that close anyway. I could call up Eddie, but he was probably just crawling in from his job. He owned the restaurant we were going to tonight, so usually didn't get in till at least 2 am. Waking him up was never a good idea.

The only other option would be my mother. That was a firm no. She would pick up; I would say Hi and then there would but a rant about her life, and her problems. The usual questions would come up; "Why can't I ever keep a guy?" and "Why did your father leave me. I know he still loves me. Why does he deny his feelings?" and it would turn into a therapy session for her. I love my mum, when she's 5000 miles away and we keep our phone conversations to a 10 minute maximum limit.

Turning on the TV, I flipped onto Jerry Springer, to angry to think about collapsing in my bed. Jerry was good for when I needed a distraction, and a reminder that my life really wasn't so bad.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hey guys, hope you enjoyed the first chapter. Just a warning, there's going to be some strong language from here on out. I hope you like it, I look forward to hearing what you think.**

 **xx**

 **Chapter Two**

 **Dimitri POV**

Thank fuck my shift was over. The night had gone from bad to worse after getting my coffee. One of my favourite patients had had to go back into surgery after her lung had collapsed. It shouldn't have happened. Everything had gone perfectly, she was stable. All we had to do was wait for her to wake up, check everything was functioning properly, make sure she could still had full function of her body – a minor risk with any surgery, but it did happen. Instead, she had coded, leaving me with a problem to fix, a family to reassure and no time to grab another coffee.

Her husband had been furious when he learned what had happened, but that was the worry coming out. The love between the two of them was something I admired, so I could take it when he started to shout at me. If I were married and loved my wife as much as he loved her, I would be tearing into the surgeon that had fucked up. But I hadn't. I ran through that surgery in my mind. Everything had gone smoothly; we had managed to get the entire tumour out without an issue. Then why had her lung collapsed? Was it a surgical issue or something else entirely? That question would be running through my mind until I figured it out.

Bursting into my apartment, I was happy to be home. It was quiet, but I liked it like that. I wouldn't be able to live with another person now. This was my space, when I had time to think and analyse everything. But I couldn't do that right now. I needed food. I needed a shower. I needed sleep.

I washed the hospital smell off my skin, letting the hot water sooth my aching muscles as I tried to relax. After today, I was ready to collapse in my bed and let the day go if I could. The problem was still playing in my mind. I needed to stop thinking about my patient, but I couldn't. She had been fine. What had gone wrong?

Shutting the water off, I climbed out debating where or not to take a run. I decided against it, my eyes itching too much. I had been up for 24 hours, most of them working. Not my record, but I was wiped out. Skipping the food – a mistake, but I couldn't eat right now – I collapsed in my bed, letting sleep take me.

 **Rose POV**

I hated getting ready without Lissa. What the hell do you ware to an anniversary party? Do I go colourful – so either Red or I think I had some purple dresses in the back somewhere – or stick to black?

I also couldn't think straight right now. The message from Jessie had bothered me more then I realised, putting me in a bad mood. Then, to add onto that, I had a text from Natalie in my Psychology class asking me about the assignment due next week. I hadn't even started thinking about it. And I couldn't deal with it now; reading through my notes at work had been painful enough.

Why did I want to become a social worker? When I was younger, I hated feeling helpless. Like there was no one looking out for me. I hadn't been in the worst situation, but there were times when I felt like I was trapped in the war between my mother and father. The things I associated most with my childhood were the smell of alcohol, cigarettes and arguments that lasted until my father stormed out of the house. One day he didn't come back. My mother hadn't handled that well. So when I thought about what I wanted to do with my life, I knew I wanted to help kids in that situation. But the work load was killing me slowly.

Throwing a couple of dresses out of my closet, I was trying to decide between a black dress or a skinny jean and cute top combo. My brain couldn't handle the decision, so it would take some time. Thankfully I had a couple of hours to sort it out. My Cell started to ring, distracting me.

"Hey Liss" I said holding my phone between my shoulder and ear. I could hear sniffing on the other side of the phone "What's wrong. What's Sparky done now? I will be over there in five minutes -"

"It's okay. I just have some big news."

"How big are we talking here?" I asked, abandoning the closet for a minute and sitting down on my bed.

"I'm engaged." I was speechless. "Rose, are you still there?"

"Oh my God."

"I know."

"Seriously?"

"Yes Rose."

I screamed. I never scream. Never. It's one of my rules. But in that moment, I just felt like it called for an excited, girly scream. "You did say yes right?"

"Of course I did! Can you believe this? I'm going to get married to the love of my life. This is just too crazy."

"Come on, this was going to happen at some point." I said, trying to wrap my head around the idea.

"But now? I mean, there's still so much I want to do with everything, and I can't even begin to think about the future and-"

"Lissa, calm down. Do you love Christian?" I asked, shuddering at the use of his full name. I was not used to referring to him as that.

"Yes."

"Can you picture spending your life with anyone else?"

"No"

"Then there is no problem. You can do what you want once you're married, life doesn't end after the ceremony." I said, not really sure I fully believed what I was saying, but Liss had stopped crying so I continued to say what she needed to hear. "You are going to be an amazing, strong woman as Mrs. Ozera. If you want to take his name that is."

"But this is happening so fast."

"You've been dating 3 years. You were talking for 2 years before that. Snails are faster than you guys." Liss laughed at that. I hated not being there when she had one of her freak outs. She didn't have them often anymore. When we were younger, they used to happen frequently, sending her into panic attacks. I helped her deal with those; she helped me deal with my home life. "Are you alright? Do I still have to get dressed for this thing tonight?"

"Yes you do, we'll see you at the restaurant at 7:30."

"Great. Liss," I walked back over to my closet "what the hell do I ware to my best friends engagement party?"

She laughed at that "I was thinking about this earlier. Remember that dress you got when we went shopping around Christmas?"

"The one you bought for me?"

"Yep. Wear that one."

"You sure? We're talking about the lace one yes?"

"Rose, trust me. Wear that one tonight, or spend the next two hours trying to pick out your own dress." She had a point. The dress she was talking about was buried in the back of my closet, but it was a good choice. And if she approved who was I to go against her wishes. It was her night after all.

"Whatever you say. I have to get ready, I'll see you soon."

"Okay Rose. Oh and, thank you."

"It's what I'm here for. Liss. I'm happy for you." I smiled as she hung up. Tossing my phone on my bed, I took the dress over to my fill length mirror. It was sexy, but in a classy way. Coming down to mid thigh, it showed off my legs – which I worked damn hard for. So many hours of running went into them. It did have sleeves so I was partly covered, but then it accented my boobs which I loved. It never hurt to show off some skin.

Slipping it on, it did feel like a good choice. It clung to my body in all the right places, making me feel powerful. Now all I had to worry about was my shoes and makeup. Oh God help me.

 **Dimitri POV**

 _She said YES!_

I felt a smile coming on as I read Christians text. I was happy for my friend. I was in the taxi on the way to the restaurant now, letting the news wash over me. They were good together, Lissa being the only one to calm him down. Even though I didn't know her very well, she had been the best thing to happen to Christian in a long time. When I had first met Christian, he had been one of the quiet guys in the corner, ready to throw himself into work whist not willing to talk to anyone. His bedside manner wasn't the best, but then that was something I needed to improve on too.

Then Lissa came in, the victim of a car crash that had killed the other three members of her family. Christian had been assigned her case when we were interns. It had been absolutely horrible, but she had survived with a couple of broken bones. They met, fell in love and that would have been that if Christian hadn't been too shy and Liss hadn't lived on the other side of the country. He had asked for her number when she was being discharged, and they had stayed just friends for 2 years. Until she moved to Boston with her best friend. By the time she had arrived, he was head over heels in love with her.

And now here I was, on my way to their engagement party in a suit that didn't feel comfortable. I hated wearing these things. But once Christian had told me where we would be eating I knew I had to dust the thing off. Bel Canto was one of the most popular Italian restaurants in Boston, the only reason we were able to get a table was because Lissa knew the owner.

Tipping the cab driver, I made my way into the place. The place smelled amazing, making my mouth water a little. I had eaten a little when I woke up, but not enough to satisfy me for long.

"Can I help you sir?" the Hostess said, batting her eyelashes at me. She was pretty, but not my type. First glance told me she would be a bit too high maintenance for me to deal with. But I gave her a quick smile anyway. Before I could answer her, I heard Christian call me. "Dimitri!"

"I think that is my table over there, thank you." I said, leaving the hostess behind to find my friend. There were a couple of other people at the table – Alberta, the head nurse at Boston General that had become like a second mom to Christian and I. She didn't put up with any of our crap. Adrian, one of the lab techs that worked with us and a couple of people that I didn't recognise.

As Christian stood up, I gave him a quick hug, patting him on the back. "Congratulations to you both."

"Thank you Dimitri" Liss said with a smile as she stood up, taking my hand. I kissed her on the cheek before taking my seat. Scanning the menu, my mind couldn't focus on the food. I was still tired, unable to sleep properly earlier – I had always found switching off after work hard – I knew I would have to go home after dinner. Thankfully, I didn't have to be in the hospital until tomorrow night, giving me time to recover if they didn't call me in.

I had zoned out a little, not focusing on the conversation around me when Christian tapped me on the shoulder. "Are you okay?" he asked, a little worry in his eyes. Christian had become like a brother too me over the past five years. Having a friend at the hospital made the job a little easier, and he really knew his stuff. I would have to talk to him about my patient tomorrow, I couldn't ruin his night.

Lissa let out a squeal beside him, jumping out of her chair. "Rose is here." He whispered, smirking a little. Turning around I saw her. Coffee shop girl was Rose. How the hell had I not put that together? Christian had talked about her enough, always complaining about Lissa's annoying best friend. And their digs at each other whilst getting coffee suddenly made sense. I was so dumb.

Lissa stepped away giving Rose room to breathe, and it felt like I couldn't anymore. Seeing Rose at work, of course I thought she was beautiful, but what she was wearing tonight was enough to give any man a heart attack. Several men in the place were turning their heads to stare at the two beautiful girls with lust in their eyes. I couldn't blame them, though I did want to stop them. The urge to jump up and protect Rose from the men flared within me. I didn't want anyone looking at her that way.

Crap. I shouldn't be feeling this.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys, glad to hear you're enjoying it so far. Keep reviewing, I love hearing your thoughts.**

 **xx**

 **Chapter Three**

 **Rose POV**

Why had I chosen these shoes? Seriously, what was I thinking? The walk from the cab – that was parked right outside the entrance to the Restaurant – inside was painful, and it was only a few steps. Maybe it had something to do with being on my feet for eight hours at work last night; I don't remember these shoes hurting this much.

Natalie was on the door tonight, my least favourite hostess. Damn that girl was a bitch, why Eddie had hired her was beyond me. Yeah she was pretty, but beyond that there was really nothing too her. It also didn't help that she was one of the girls my ex boyfriend had cheated on me with. I didn't even acknowledge her as I walked in, scanning the place for my best friend.

Despite my reservations – that I really wasn't going to tell Lissa about – I was excited about tonight. Even I couldn't deny that Christian had helped her through a really rough time. He was a good guy, and she did need that. I may not be his biggest fan, but I could support this if he made her happy. Suddenly, I was attacked by a blonde bombshell that was my best friend.

"Show me." I demanded when we broke apart. I have to say, I was hurt that Christian didn't ask for my opinion on this. I was her best friend after all, and we were girls. We had talked about things like this in the past. But the feelings vanished when I saw the ring. It was perfect. A gorgeous, princess cut emerald sat in the centre surrounded by diamonds all set into a platinum band. I had to admit, it was flawless.

"Perfect, isn't it?" Liss asked, joy shining in her eyes.

"It's as beautiful as you are" I said, cringing a little. I didn't like to get sappy, but tonight called for it. "You need to tell me how he did it."

"I will, I promise. But first, we need to eat."

"How do you always know the right things to say to me?"

"Because I know you too well." She laughed, linking her arm around mine and leading me towards the table. I smiled as I recognised a couple of people from work. I was happy Alberta was here, she basically became a second mom to anyone who dared get close enough to her. I gave her coffee so she instantly loved me. Adrian was there with his new girlfriend. Hopefully this one lasted and he would stop hitting on me. He was a good guy and I liked him. As a friend. Something I don't think he fully understood. Then there was Ivan, and his partner Paul, the first friends Liss and I had made when we had moved to Boston.

Then I spotted who was sitting next to Christian, and my heart stopped. Dimitri. What the fuck. I hadn't expected him to be here tonight. I should of, because I know he's one of Christian's friends. But still, I found it hard to believe the guy ever left the hospital.

"Hey guys" I smiled, taking my seat next to Dimitri. Of course the only seat available had to be next to him.

Tonight was going to be an interesting night.

It was actually more entertaining than I thought it would be. Ivan was killing me – god that guy could make me laugh. Paul was looking mortified as Ivan told another one of his Dad jokes –that seemed to be getting worse and worse as more wine was drank - but even Dimitri was smiling at them. I shouldn't have noticed him, but he was sitting right next to me and looked so good. "Hey Rose" Ivan called over, pulling me out of my Dimitri daze "What do you call a cow with no legs." Paul groaned beside him as I started chuckling. The wine was really working tonight. "I don't know Ivan, what do you call a cow with no legs?" I asked, but I didn't get my answer.

A loud, high pitched girly laugh sounded from behind me. I knew that laugh. Natalie's voice could really carry when she was trying to get attention. "Rose," Lissa's eyes were wide as she glanced behind me. I didn't want to look, but I couldn't stop myself.

Natalie was standing at her post talking to a very familiar guy. My stomach started to churn; I could feel the wine started to turn to acid. Jessie was here, with a girl attached to his arm that was looking very annoyed with Natalie as she twirled a curl around her finger. "Why the fuck is he here?" I cursed, spinning back to Lissa. I felt angry. I knew this was a coincidence; there was no way that stalker jerk knew that I would be here tonight.

"Looks like he's on a date." Adrian unhelpfully added, making me shoot him a death glare. Unlike Ivan he wasn't immune, avoiding my eyes.

I hated that Jessie still had this effect on me. Dimitri filled up my wine glass, not saying a word as he handed it to me. I have to admit, that action made me like him a little bit more – if that was possible. "Thank you." I said, taking the glass and downing it in one. Dimitri refilled it. Damn, he was becoming more perfect.

"Rose, are you alright?" Lissa asked, shooting me a worried look.

"I am fine, okay. We can't let one dickhead ruin your night." I said, shaking off. After an awkward moment, Ivan launched back into dad jokes. I tried to get back into it, but I couldn't shake the feeling that someone was staring at me.

"He must be a complete idiot." Dimitri said his voice low. I suddenly realised just how close he was too me.

"Why do you say that?"

"Because he lost you." He smiled, the look he was giving me driving all thoughts of Jessie from my mind. "You look beautiful tonight." I was stunned. Beautiful was never a word guys used to describe me. I was always referred to as "hot", which annoyed me. I am a woman, not a temperature.

"Thank you. You look very nice yourself, I didn't realise you owned clothes that weren't scrubs." Not that he looked bad in scrubs. I think he was the only guy that could actually rock the light blue shade, but I wasn't going to tell him that yet. Or the fact that every time I saw him, I wanted to rip them off of him. _Stop it Rose._

"He doesn't" Alberta piped up, breaking the connection between Dimitri and I "I can tell you for a fact that he only has scrubs in his closet."

"And how would you know that Al?" Dimitri laughed, though there was a slight edge to his voice. Maybe, like me, he had forgotten there were other people at the table. Oh a girl can dream.

"I've been stalking you for five years, didn't you know?"

"Nope, but I must say I'm impressed since I live on the fifth floor. Tell me, how have you managed to scale the side of my building?"

"A woman never reveals her secrets."Alberta said with a wink, her man rolling his eyes at the exchange. They did make a cute couple, even if Alberta was one of the fiercest ladies I had ever met.

"You are scary, you know that right?" Dimitri said as he relaxed back. I don't know how, but his arm had managed to make its way round so it rested on the back of my chair.

"If I wasn't, you wouldn't be one of the best damn surgeons in the state. You know, I taught him everything he knows."

"And I will be forever grateful for that knowledge. Now will you stop stalking me?"

"No. I like having a hobby." Alberta smiled and I knew she was joking. Or I severely hoped she was joking.

"If you will excuse me, I just need to go to the ladies room." When had I become so polite? Who says ladies room? Maybe it was the wine talking, or the exposed Dimitri exposure that bought out this side of me. It was weird.

Walking away from the table, I felt my phone vibrate in my clutch.

 _You look so hot tonight. I want to fuck you so bad._

Jessie. Fucking Jessie. What the fuck does he think he's playing at? Suddenly the anger that I had felt when he had first walked in came flooding back to me. I wanted to hit him with a baseball bat repeatedly. He was here, with someone else. He had been talking to Natalie. We had been broken up for a year. There were so many reasons for him to leave me alone, and yet he had somehow managed to ignore all of them.

I needed to talk to Lissa about this.

Coming out of the toilet, the girl Jessie had come in with earlier brushed past me. I didn't know her, but I wanted to pull her aside and scream at her all the ugly things I had learned about the bastard she was on a date with. But I realised, I didn't know her. Maybe they had an arrangement of some kind – it really wouldn't surprise me if that was the case.

As soon as I could I fully intended to pull Lissa aside to talk to her. I knew I didn't want to ruin her night, but I needed someone to know about this.

"Did you get my text?" I had been so focused on getting back to the table; I hadn't even noticed he was standing right outside.

"What the fuck do you want Jessie?" I spat out, ready to take one of my heels off and stab him if I needed to. I needed him to just stop.

"You. In my bed." I tried to walk away from him, but he just grabbed my wrist.

"That is never going to happen, Creep." I said, pulling my wrist away from his grasp. I needed to bleach the area of skin he had touched.

"Rose, look come on, stop playing this game. I know you miss me."

"Yeah, almost as much as I miss my mother."

"You're still so sassy baby; I love my girls with a bit of a bite in them."

"Don't call me baby, Jessie. I broke up with you a year ago. I am no longer one of your girls. Get that trough your thick head"

"Oh come on baby, I know you still think about me."

"Roza?" I turned around to see Dimitri approaching, his face so full of concern it made me smile. His hand wrapped around my waist pulling me towards him. My heart skipped a couple of beats at the contact. Jessie's face was the best. When faced with a guy that was at least a foot taller than him and built like a line backer, he wasn't so talkative.

"Are you okay?" Dimitri asked, looking at me like I was the only person he cared about. His eyes were pulling me in, concern clear in his expression. I had no idea what he was doing, but I was going to go with it. I had tried everything else I could think off – seriously, you would think smashing a guy's car would get him to leave you alone – but if Jessie believed that I had a boyfriend, then maybe...

"I am now." I smiled up at him, curling myself into his side. Damn he felt good. Just to rub it in Jessie's face a little more – at least, that's what I told myself - I leaned up to kiss Dimitri on the cheek. His stubble was coming through, making his cheek a bit rough, but I still felt a spark at the contact. I wished I could turn his head, give him the proper kiss I had been dreaming about since my first day at the hospital when he had stormed in and ordered coffee. Who'd have know that a guy as grumpy and rough as he had been on the first day could be so sweet?


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

 **Dimitri POV**

My eyes couldn't help but follow her as she walked away. Christian nudged me, bringing my attention back to him. "See anything you like."

"Shut up."

"Come on man, if you had a thing for her you could have told me."

"I don't have a thing for Rose." I was lying, but I was having a hard enough time admitting it to myself. After the whole Tasha explosion had happened, I swore I wouldn't get into another relationship. At the time I had too much to deal with, moving to America and medical school where all that I could focus on. I couldn't focus on girls.

And now my surgical residency took up most of my time, could I really offer Rose everything she deserved? My hours weren't practical for a relationship; I didn't understand how Alberta dealt with it. Besides, there was an age gap. Rose was 21, and even though I'm 28 and a seven year age gap isn't the worst thing in the world, she still had a lot of life to live without being tied down in a relationship.

"So what's up with this guy Jessie?" I asked, my curiosity getting the better of me. If he got that reaction out of Rose, I wanted to know why.

"From what Lissa's has told me, he's a major dick head. They dated for a year, but he was cheating on her. Broke her heart." I could relate to that. "They split up about a year ago when Rose found out. She didn't take the news well."

"What did she do?"

"She destroyed his car."

"Wow."

"Yeah, you don't want to mess with a girl like Rose. She's pretty deadly, started kick boxing when she was five. Anyway, apparently Jessie has been messaging her constantly. Lissa's actually getting pretty worried about it."

Now I was getting angry. I know I didn't know Rose that well, but I could tell she was a good person. She had been through some hard times, and come out fighting. I admired her strength. "Oh, does Dimitri have a girlfriend."

"Not you too Alberta,"

"You'd better not mess with her buddy." Ivan said his face turning from the funny guy to a guy ready to kick my ass. "Rose has been through a lot, she doesn't need another guy playing her."

"Ivan, Dimitri isn't like that" Lissa spoke up, which was sweet of her.

"I'm just saying. Rose needs a good guy this time. She's kissed too many frogs, she needs a prince."

"And you need to stop drinking" Paul said, taking the wine glass out of Ivan's hand.

"I'm not drinking honey, I am celebrating and there is a difference."

"If you wake up tomorrow, begging me to kill you because you can't handle your hangover-"

"Then you can gloat and say I told you so. Until that happens-" Ivan took the wine glass back, drinking the rest of the glass before pouring himself another.

Before I could comment, something caught the corner of my eye. It was Rose, but she was talking to someone. I could see from here that she was angry. She moved slightly, exposing his face. It was the guy that had come in earlier, the one that had started all the drama at the table. Anger boiled inside of me. "I'll be right back." I said, leaving the table.

For once, my mind was blank, I didn't know what I was going to do or say when I got there, but I figured I would be suitable back up for Rose if she needed it. Roza. Beautiful and deadly. Young and full of life. She was everything Tasha hadn't been, I could tell even though I didn't know her very well. I had seen her work at the coffee shop, how she handled Dr. Alto and his annoying complaints about the coffee being too hot. How she talked to Christian, even though they weren't best friends she still held some respect for him.

How she looked at me. She managed to make me feel like everything was going to be alright, even on the crappiest nights. She was my Roza, and right now she needed help.

"Roza?" I said, making her turn around. Her face went from one of pure annoyance to one of hope. Without thinking, my hand went to her waist. I knew I couldn't shove her behind me, creating a human shield between this guy and her, but I could stand by her side. Jessie stared at my hand on her waist, the anger radiating off him. He was checking me out, probably wondering if he could take me.

"Are you alright?" I asked her,

"I am now." she said, staring up at me with her smile I had grown very fond of as she pulled herself closer into me. Having her body so close to mine almost made me forget about why I came over here in the first place. Then she did something that made my mind blank. She reached up, lighting pressing her lips to my cheek. A spark shot through me; the place she had kissed began to tingle at the contact.

"This is Jessie, my ex." She explained, her voice sounding slightly strained as she turned back to the guy. Right, this is why I had come over. "Jessie, this is Dr. Dimitri Belikov. My boyfriend."

Boyfriend? I smiled; trying not to let my surprise at the word Roza used show. "I would say it's a pleasure to meet you, but that would be a lie." I said. The only thing keeping me from hitting him was Rose's body next to mine.

"Rose, you didn't tell me you had a boyfriend."

"That's because my life isn't your business anymore Jessie. Now, I hope you enjoy your date tonight. Good bye." With that, Rose turned, taking my hand and leading me away from Jessie, back to our table. But I stopped her. Beneath the affection she had shown to me, there was still some built up anger. I lead her outside, letting us both have a bit of fresh air before we could go back to the couples table.

The night air hit us. Fall had started, making the night air colder though it didn't really bother me. Taking a deep breath, I turned to Rose.

 **Rose POV**

Tonight was really becoming a rollercoaster. The confrontation with Jessie had me on edge, though Dimitri's presence helped. The fact that he took us outside was a surprise to me. The cold air shocked me, making me shiver a little. But it felt good. The restaurant had started to seem to stuffy and small.

We didn't talk for a couple of moments, standing in comfortable silence. Though it felt weird to be this comfortable around him, it did feel good. He made me feel good.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his voice washing over me with that sexy Russian accent of his. It made me shiver. Probably mistaking that for me being cold, Dimitri took off his suit jacket, handing it to me. I was shocked. A guy hadn't done that for me before. But then, I guess I had never met a guy like Dimitri. "Thank you" I said, taking the jacket and shrugging it on. It was way too big for me, but it was warm "For doing that with Jessie, you didn't have too."

"I know." He said "It looked like you could use some backup."

"What I could use is a sledge hammer to smash his face." picturing it made me smile, my anger away ever so slowly. I hated feeling angry; it was like I had no control. Tonight Jessie had almost pushed me to the edge, grabbing my hand like that, I had been so tempted to kick him, or slap him. I just wanted to do something that would hurt him in some way. But I had stopped myself.

My anger had always been my biggest problem when I was younger. I used to punch walls, and throw things whenever the feelings arose. Giving into it made me feel better, but the aftermath was never worth it. It was one of the reasons my father had left us. I knew I shouldn't think like that, but my mother had always blamed me, even if she hadn't come out and said it. She hadn't needed too; I could see it written on her face. I was the reason she was alone. I was the reason she was unhappy. If she hadn't of had me, she would have been on top of her field. She still was one of the top psychologists in the country, respected amongst all of her peers – the irony that the ones who practise psychology were the ones that needed it the most wasn't lost on me. But I had slowed her down. I had ruined her life.

"Hey," Dimitri said, breaking me out of my thoughts. His hand was on my cheek; his thumb brushing away a tear I hadn't even known had fallen. Why was I crying? I shouldn't be crying. Tonight was supposed to be a happy night - my best friend was engaged for fucks sake - I shouldn't be dealing with all this shit.

"What is happening tonight?" I whispered, letting Dimitri's touch sooth me. "Why is he here? Of all the nights he could have shown up."

"Roza"

"No. It's not fair." All of my anger and frustrations were coming out right now. I didn't have time to feel shocked at the fact that Dimitri was here witnessing this.

"Hey, look at me." he said, placing both hands on my cheeks so I couldn't turn away from him. "He shouldn't be doing this to you. This is not your fault."

"He's my ex, so yeah part of this is my fault." Of course I was going to blame myself. Jessie had become the biggest regret of my life. I knew I shouldn't have started dating him. But at the time my life had been at a point where I just didn't care. There was no romance between us, it was just pure 'Oh I think you're hot, let's fuck until we get bored' kind of thing. He had told me he loved me. Once. During drunk sex. I hadn't gone there, unable to let the words form in my mouth. I had just pretended to scream out in pleasure – even if it had been faked, the reaction made him forget everything.

I had wanted to think that I was in love – for a second there I even believed it myself. That's why I took Jessie's betrayal so hard. Also because I really wanted to smash up his car – now that had been a good night. We had stayed in the bushes outside his house to see his reaction. Creepy I know, but I needed to see his face when he found the thing he loved the most damaged.

But leaving that relationship – him cheating on me – had been the best thing that had ever happened to me.

"You made a mistake Roza. You are allowed to make mistakes."Sincerity burst off of Dimitri. How was this guy single? He wasn't like Jessie, he couldn't be. There was no comparison between Dimitri and anyone else I had ever dated. I could tell even though I didn't know him very well. But I wanted to find out everything about him. His likes, his dislikes, everything he loved. I found myself wanting to know it all.

Suddenly, I was feeling bold.

"If I kiss you right now, would that be a mistake?" with my back against the wall, Dimitri's arms moved from my face to my waist, pulling me closer to him. My mind went blank. A second later his lips were pressed against mine.

His kiss consumed me, in a way no other kiss had. It started off gently, lip lips soft against mine, stealing my breath. My arms circled his neck as I got lost in the sensation. Pressed against his body I could feel, his heart beating a mile a minute as I pressed myself closer into his hard chest. The kiss deepened, his mouth getting hot and demanding. If he hadn't been holding me up, I would have collapsed against the wall, my legs turning to jelly. Dimitri made me feel things I didn't know possible. And that scared the shit out of me.

I didn't want to pull away, but I needed to breathe. The cold air shocked me when we lost contact. He kept me close, resting his forehead against mine.

"Roza" he whispered, his voice washing over me.

"We should probably go in."

"Yes." He said, but we still stood there for a full minute, his arms wrapped around me, his forehead resting on mine. I couldn't bring myself to pull away.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys, hope you're enjoying the story so far. Keep Reviewing, i love hearing your thoughts on this.**

 **xx**

 **Chapter Five**

 **Dimitri POV**

"What do you want to do?" She asked, her hands dropping from my shoulders to my chest. Truthfully I didn't want to let her go. Or I wanted to throw her in a cab and take her back to my place so I could have her pressed against me for the rest of the night. But I couldn't do that. We had an obligation to our friends who were waiting for us. Crap. How were we going to explain this?

I let go of her, missing her body the second she stepped away. Dipping my head down, I kissed her gently again, not able to help myself, pulling away before we deepened it. We couldn't spend the rest of the night out here. Taking her hand in mine, I lead us back into the restaurant.

"There you guys are." Ivan Slurred. Paul hadn't been able to keep him from ordering another bottle – or two – of wine then. "We were wondering where you guys had got too. Seriously, you guys where just about to miss the super romantic story of how this guy –"he pointed to Christian across the table, who looked pretty drunk himself "managed to convince my beautiful Princess" he pointed at Lissa, who was staring at Rose "to marry him."

The girls seemed to be having a staring contest across the table as Christian launched into the story. He had been thinking about it for a while, longer then I realised "I knew she was the one on our first date." But he had needed to wait. She hadn't been ready; she had gone through a lot since he had met her. And he needed to make sure she felt the same way he did.

So he had started to plan it. First he had to find the perfect ring – Rose wasn't too happy that he hadn't asked for her opinion, though she did admit he had done a nice job. But then he had to think of a way to do it.

He had gone simple. Covering his apartment in candles when she got back from her classes. Something so romantic was surprising coming from Christian, but guys do strange things when their in love.

"It was beautiful." Lissa said. She seemed to be the only one who had stayed at the table and had not drunk.

The rest of the night passed in a blur. We ate, we drank, and we laughed. Jessie didn't bother us again, though we knew he was watching. I didn't care, Rose didn't notice. If she did, she ignored him. Her hand found mine under the table, her touch soft, but she kept her eyes on Lissa. Thankfully our friends had skipped the interrogation when we got back to the table; though Rose was looking noticeably happier then she had all night. Apparently so was I.

 **Rose POV**

This whole night had been confusing. First Jessie, then Dimitri, it was like being thrown out of hell and into heaven. I tried to pull out of my head, get back into the night. Looking around, everything seemed a little brighter; Lissa's smile seemed bigger, Christian looked happier and Adrian ...well he was still sending me flirty looks but he wasn't as annoying as I had once found him.

Alberta and her man had already gone home; Paul had to practically drag a very drunk Ivan out the door. Adrian had been the only one to leave partially sober – which was a surprise – but he shot us a wink when he escorted his date out – I didn't catch her name though she seemed like a nice enough girl. If Adrian decided to keep her around. I liked Adrian; he was smart and funny and could never take anything seriously. It was just his feelings for me that were getting in the way of our friendship. And the fact that he seemed to go through a new girl every other week – something I didn't want to be a part of.

"Rose" Lissa said, linking her arm back through mine as we walked to the door "We need to talk." Oh no, Lissa with her serious voice was rarely good.

"Okay?" we were standing outside, inches away from the space where Dimitri and I had kissed. My heart was pounding, this time I was from the look on Lissa's face.

"First off, there is no way you are not going to tell me everything that happened between you, Jessie and Dimitri."

"Okay, look, I'm sorry about Jessie" I said, guilt washing over me.

"He is not your fault, okay. You didn't ask him to come tonight, did you?"

"No."

"Then don't worry about him. Now Dimitri..."

"Not tonight Lissa." I needed to figure things out first, get my head straight before I told her anything.

"Tomorrow then. After class, you and I are going out, we're going to go shopping and we are going to talk about our guys."

"He's not my guy."

"He certainly looked like your guy tonight." She said, smiling a little as she looked over my shoulder. Glancing back, I could see Christian and Dimitri talking. I don't know what they were talking about, but they were laughing. It was good to see Dimitri laugh. Looking back at Lissa, she had an indulgent smile on her face. "I'm just saying we've both gone through a lot these past couple of years. You deserve to be happy Rose. And by happy I mean the kind that Christian makes me feel."

"I don't need a guy to be happy" I said. It was true, I didn't need a guy. If I did I would have stayed with Jessie.

"No you don't. But you haven't stopped smiling since you and Dimitri came back to the table. I've missed that smile."

I got what she meant. I had missed this side of me too. I guess, with everything going on I didn't have time to really be happy. Stressed, yes. Annoyed, all the time. But happy wasn't something I truly felt often. Maybe that would change soon.

"There is also something else I wanted to ask you." Taking a deep breath, she looked me dead in the eyes. "Will you be my maid of honour?"

Relief coursed through me. "You don't even need to ask, of course I will" I said, throwing my arms around her. The emotions that had been building up started to come out. I hated crying. I hated feeling weak and out of control. I was the strong, kickass one, Lissa was the emotional girly girl that could bare to show emotion. What was happening tonight?

"Has hell frozen over?" Christian asked as he saw me wipe a tear away.

"Shut up Sparky." I said, punching him on the shoulder as he laughed. His arm was thrown around Lissa's shoulders, when they had first gotten together; it hadn't really made much sense to me – mostly because I didn't like him very much. Yeah he was the guy that had helped save her life after that horrible night, but still I had a hard time trusting him. It wasn't until Liss and I had moved ourselves to Boston and they actually started dating that I understood why she liked him.

Christian was a good guy in his own weird way, and she needed a good guy.

After saying goodbye, and promising to meet up for coffee tomorrow, Lissa and Christian disappeared to his place, leaving me and Dimitri alone. It was 11, but thanks to my night shift sleeping pattern I really didn't feel tired. I would probably go home, curl up on the Sofa, watch some bad TV and over think everything that had happened tonight as the wine wore off.

As Christian and Lissa's taxi drove off, I felt Dimitri come up behind me. "I've called us a taxi."

"Us?"

"You think I would let you go home alone at this time of night."

"I can look after myself Comrade."

"I know that, but I'm not ready to leave you just yet." His words made my heart melt. Reaching up, I pressed my lips to his quickly. We had come so far in such a short space of time, it made my head spin. How could I be so comfortable with this guy? Yesterday we had barely talked, but today I was wrapped in his arms making out with him on the street. _Don't think about it Rose,_ the little voice inside my head popped up _just go with it._

Dimitri broke away, a questioning look on his face "Comrade?"

"Well, you have your nickname for me. I thought it only fair that I give you one too." I smiled, pressing myself against him. I really liked the feel of his body against mine,

Soon we were in the back of the Taxi, his mouth on mine as the driver took us to my apartment. Thank god I had managed to clean it earlier. Thankfully, my apartment wasn't too far away from the restaurant and – for once – traffic was light, meaning the guy got us there in 20 minutes. "Have a good night you two" he called out with a smile, driving away.

Leading, Dimitri up the stairs, I started to open the door. But then he stopped me, pulling me back towards him "Nothing is going to happen tonight Roza."

"I'm sorry?"

"I want it to. I like you; I just don't want to rush us."

I don't know what I had assumed when it came to Dimitri, but he was blowing all of my expectations away. The way he looked at me, I could tell he wanted me. And oh my god did I want him. Probably more then I have ever wanted anybody. And the fact that he wasn't rushing me into bed made me nervous. All the guys I had known had only ever wanted one thing from me, to get me into bed. After the first time, they didn't stick around for very long. If they did, our relationship didn't really end well – example Jessie.

By now I knew the signs of a one night stand, or a guy that just wanted to fuck a couple of times then leave. Dimitri wasn't showing any of these signs.

Because of the steps, I was face to face with the guy. "So we'll take it slow?" I asked, weaving my arms around his neck.

"Yes Roza, we will take it slow." He whispered, his eyes burning with desire as I leaned in for a kiss.

"Do you still want to come in for a coffee or something?" I didn't want to let him go. I wanted to talk to him, find out everything I could about him. Just get lost in him if they was even possible.

"Coffee sounds good." Letting go of him, I led us up the stairs to my apartment. Thankfully, I was on the second floor, so there weren't too many stairs to climb. My feet were hurting like hell, and the thought of being able to take my shoes off soon was so good.

Getting closer to my apartment door, something felt off. Turning the corner, I could see my door. I stopped. "Get behind me Roza." Dimitri said as he noticed the door. Stepping in front of me, he pushed the door open enough for us to get through. My heart was pounding in my chest, fear shooting through me. I knew if anyone was in there, they wouldn't be a match for Dimitri and I, but I couldn't help but feel violated.

Thankfully, my apartment was small so we could easily scan the place. There was no one in the living room, but stuff was scattered around the floor. Clothes where everywhere, there was a suitcase in the corner and there were empty take out containers on my coffee table that I had cleaned earlier. It couldn't have been Jill; she wasn't due to get back for another couple of days.

"I'm calling the police."

"No, wait." I said, spotting something on the floor. Coming out from behind Dimitri, I crouched down to pick up a very familiar top.

"For fucks sake." I said, dropping the top back onto the sofa and storming to my room. I should have known.

My bedroom door was open a crack but the lights in there off. Pushing open the door, I could see there was someone in my bed, her body splayed over the covers as she, snoring gently as she clutched an empty bottle of rum in her hands. My heart dropped. I wanted to scream. Of course she had to do this. Of course she had to come and ruin my night just when it had started to go well. I had an incredibly hot guy with me, one that I most defiantly wanted to spend the rest of my night with in a haze of happiness.

Walking back to Dimitri, I could see he had questions. "We're going to have to take a rain check on the coffee Comrade."

"What's going on Roza?"

"My mother is in town."


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys, sorry about the wait. I had a busy weekend with my family. Hope you enjoy the chapter. Please review because I do love hearing your thoughts. I have also changed the mistake i had made in my last chapter - sorry about that. I did mean Comrade :)**

 **xx**

 **Chapter Six**

 **Rose POV**

How could she do this to me? How could she think it would be alright to turn up and just think she could crash? What if Lissa or Jill had been here? Lissa would know a bit more of what to do; she had met her mother several times. They didn't get on. Jill would have no idea. One encounter would leave that sweet girl completely traumatised.

Thankfully Dimitri had been spared the drunken therapy session that my mother would have initiated. I don't think I've been happier to find her passed out; sparing me from the drunken talks and the insults she would usually throw my way when she got to that level of drunk. She could have passed out on the couch however. Collapsing in my own bed would have been the perfect way to end the night, instead, I would have to sneak in, grab some clothes and crash in Lissa's bed. There was no way there would be room for me in mine.

"Are you sure you don't want me to stay?" He said, taking my hands in his. With Dimitri I felt safe and secure, like nothing could hurt me. I wished I didn't have responsibilities. I wanted to grab him and take him to bed, locking the door so that neither of us could escape, then spend all day in bed just wrapped up in his body. Everything felt like it was going to be okay when he was with me and I didn't want to lose that feeling.

"I want you to stay." I said, wrapping my hands around his waist and burying myself in his chest. "But-"

"I knew that was coming." He said. I could feel his chest vibrate as he chuckled.

"But I don't want you to meet my mother. I like you too much to do that to you."

"Roza-"

"I have a lot of Issues Dimitri that started long before I met Jessie." That was as much as I could say for now; I didn't want to scare the poor guy off. But then, if he couldn't handle everything that came with me – _no Rose don't think about it._

"I get it." He said, placing a kiss on my forehead. I wanted to take him to the sofa and get lost in the comfort of his arms. "Can I have your phone?" Handing my phone over, I watched him type something into it.

"There, now you have my number in case anything goes wrong." I smiled, taking my phone back before stepping into his arms. Bending down, he gave me a long slow kiss that made my toes curl. I could have stayed like that all night. Somehow this guy had managed to calm me down from the edge of insanity that I reached whenever I came close to my mother.

Xx

Waking up the next morning, I felt like crap. I wish I had had more time with Dimitri, having to ask him to leave almost killed me. If my mother hadn't been here then I would have had at least another couple of hours with him, gone to bed happy, had a good night's sleep and everything would have been okay.

Instead, I had to deal with a hung-over mother that I had never had a decent relationship with. She had started snoring at 2am. Even though I had crashed in Lissa's room – which was done the hall from mine – I could still hear her, loud and clear.

The urge to call Dimitri so he could come back and just hold me was tempting. The moment he had left, the good mood he had put me in had disappeared almost instantly. I had wanted to scream, or kick something, or go for a run. Anything to work off the angry tension that had been building up. But I couldn't leave just in case _she_ had woken up and decided to cook something – that had happened before. It hadn't ended well – or if she started vomiting. I may not like her very much, but she was still my mother. I didn't want her to choke to death on her own puke.

After a few hours of sleep, I was woken up by a loud crash in the kitchen.

Fuck.

Mom was in there, looking as bad as I felt. She had major bed head, though it wasn't as noticeable with her as her dark hair was cut short. There were dark circles under her eyes that were still bloodshot from the night before. And I could smell the rum from across the room.

"Good morning Rosemarie." she managed to use her "Doctor Voice" as I liked to call it, even with a major hang over. I hadn't even ventured into the kitchen last night to check on the mess, but I could see the rest of the empty bottles that were scattered on the kitchen counter. She had managed to drink us dry, and would leave the mess for me to clean up. Some things never change.

"What are you doing here mother?"

"I have a talk at a hospital near here; I needed a place to stay."

"So you thought you could break into my place?"

"I have a key."

"How? I don't remember ever giving you one."

"Jessie gave me his, I made a copy." Fuck, even when he wasn't around, Jessie was finding ways to mess with my life.

This shouldn't be my morning. My morning should be starting around midday waking up next to Dimitri, his arms wrapped around me, pressing me against his hard – preferably shirtless – body, using his lips for very good things. Not waking up at 7 am to my mother in the kitchen, watching her fail to use a coffee machine. It's a basic coffee machine as well; you fill it with water and press a button, it's really not that hard.

"Why would you make a copy?" I asked, but she completely ignored the question. She had started to search through the cupboards. If she reached for the pop tarts, I was going to run across the room and smack them out of her hands. Those were mine. Thankfully, she came across Lissa's granola bars. I knew she wouldn't care, but I would have to replace those later.

"I've missed Jessie, is he around?" here we go.

"We broke up a year ago."

"Why would break up with him? He was a real catch." There was a reason I hadn't told her anything. Mostly because she had loved Jessie so much, she had tried to hit on him when she had met him. It had been one of the most embarrassing experiences of my life. If she met Dimitri, god knows what she would do.

"Why don't you date him then? You can find out what it's like to get cheated on."

"What did you do?" she went there. Of course she would make Jessie cheating on me my fault, because she thinks the sun shines out of his fucking ass. "He must have strayed for a reason. Look, I'm sure whatever it was, he will forgive you. He has a good heart that one does. Not like your father."

I was speechless, the anger boiling up inside me. The fact that she was still one of the most respected Psychologists in the state really blew my mind. How could someone so fucked up actually be allowed to treat people that genuinely needed help?

I needed to leave. Rushing around, I grabbed what I changed as fast as I could as I tried not to cry. I hated crying. I felt weak, like I was giving into my mother's desire. I had come to the conclusion years ago that my mom's only goal in life was to make me cry, and by giving in to that sick and twisted desire of hers, I would make her happy. As if anything could make her happy.

Grabbing my running shoes, my keys and my phone I left, slamming the door behind me.

 **Dimitri POV**

I woke up the next morning, frustrated. Roza hadn't texted me last night after the initial text she had sent once I had left.

 _Thank you for tonight. Get home safe Comrade, sweet dreams – R_

I had had sweet dreams, mostly of her. I couldn't get the feel of her body against mine out of my head, the way she had fit against me so perfectly. I wanted her, needed her more than any woman I had ever felt. We had a connection; something that I couldn't take lightly, which is why I couldn't rush into things with her. No matter how much I wanted to really feel her body against mine.

The mention of her mother had scared me. I didn't know how I felt about a woman that broke into her daughter's apartment. The look on Roza's face had said it all; anger and annoyance clouded her features again, much as they had when she had realised Jessie had turned up at the restaurant last night. It was obvious that she didn't have a very strong bond with her mother, the way her body had stiffened even more when she had realised just who had entered her home last night gave enough away.

The arrival of her mother had left me with some questions that I couldn't bring myself to ask last night.

Did Roza have a family? Obviously, she had Lissa, but was she close to anyone else?

There were many things I had to find out about her. I needed to spend more time with her, just the two of us in a quiet setting with no interruptions. But when could that happen when I was so busy at work. Roza had put my patient out of my mind. Thankfully, her status hadn't changed in the past 24 hours, or someone would have called me in. I still had time to figure out what was wrong with her before I had to go back in.

It was 6 am, 13 hours left before I had to make my way into work and start the night shift. I would have a nap later, topping up on sleep before I started my shift. But now, there was something important I had to do.

Picking up my phone, I was disappointed there were no texts from Roza. But it was early; she would probably still be asleep. Toying with the idea of texting her, I decided against it; I needed time to think about what to say.

Instead I stopped at my mother's number. I hadn't called home in a while. Getting too caught up in work was one of my worst qualities my mother said, and it was true. It meant that I didn't call home as often as I should have. Thankfully it would be midday in Russia, meaning that mother would probably be home in the kitchen baking something. If there was one thing I missed the most about home, it was my mother's bread. She had taught me how to make it, but it just wasn't the same.

"Hello mother."

"Dimka, now this is a miracle." I smiled, the love in my mother's voice warming me, but there was also a little guilt there.

"I'm sorry I haven't called you in a while."

"You're a man now; you have a life of your own, don't have to call your mother every week."

"I know, but I still feel bad. How is everyone?"

"Everyone is fine, Sonya is still pregnant, Karolina is working hard and Viktoria is about to graduate. I think she wants to follow in her big brothers footsteps and become a doctor, but it's going to be hard for her. You know what she's like." My youngest sister was very smart, but she lacked discipline. She could become a doctor if she really wanted too, but only if she buried herself in books; something I doubted she would do. She was the girl that had had loads of friends, and enjoyed having a social life. Becoming a doctor meant that she would have to give all of that up. This had me thinking that she had only said that to Mother to stop her from asking questions.

"How's Grandma?"

"Still alive." Mother said, making me smile "She knew she would call today and told me to ask you if you liked Roses? Any idea what she's talking about?" My Grandmother scared us all sometimes, her perception beyond that of any ordinary person. "Have you met someone?"

"Mother-" I had no chance of hiding anything from her. How my grandmother had known was unexplainable, but she had always been this way. Some people in our town called her a witch, something she only smiled at before ignoring them. What she could do may not be magic, but it was very close to it.

"You have, haven't you? I knew there was something different in your voice."

"It's new."

"Is she pretty?"

"She's beautiful. And smart. And strong."

"Well, any girl that has you talking like this has got to be special."

"She is mother."

"What's wrong Dimka?"

"There is still a lot to figure out between us. We technically met last night."

"Technically?"

"She works at the hospital."

"Is she a doctor? A nurse?"

"No. She works in the coffee shop."

"How old is she Dimka?" There was wariness in her voice. I knew she would have a slight problem with the age difference. And to be honest, it was something that I had to deal with too. Roza was still young. There was a seven year age gap between us that might cause a problem, though I didn't want to think of it now.

"21."

"Only a couple of years older than Viktoria."

"I know."

"I trust you know what you're doing, Dimka. I'm proud of you, and if you are happy, you know that is all that matters to me."

"Thank you mother"

"Just be careful, yes?"

"I always am."

We talked for a while longer. I missed my family, and my home in Russia, but I couldn't find the time to go back. Maybe Roza would go with me – no It was too soon to be thinking about that. We needed to go slow; we needed to get to know each other before she met my family. But the thought of her walking through my home town, I could picture her fitting in there.

I know I had come close last night to meeting her mother, but that would have been too much too soon for us. In the moment, I had wanted to prolong my time with her. I didn't like leaving her distressed and angry. Her reaction to her mother had me worried and wondering what their relationship was like. Obviously, it wasn't good. I just hope Roza could trust me enough to tell me.

Saying goodbye to my mother – with a promise that I would come home as soon as I could – I hung up. I needed to clear my head a bit before I tackled my patient's problems. I also had a major scheduled for tonight that needed to be prepped for. I knew what I was doing, but I always went over the procedure in my head before it happened. When it came to life or death, I was a perfectionist. I needed to make sure I could do everything in my power to keep my patient alive and that meant practise.

But first, I needed a run.

Grabbing my things, I headed out the door, ready to work off all the excess energy Roza had left me with last night.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

 **Rose POV**

 _I torture you/ take my hand through the flames/ I torture you/ I'm a slave to your games/ I'm just a sucker for pain_

Blasting my music, my feat hit the pavement in a steady rhythm. I got lost in the music, my mind shutting down as I blasted my favourite song from the Suicide Squad soundtrack. I usually didn't like Lil' Wayne, but mixed with Imagine Dragons his part was tolerable. And the lyrics seemed to fit with my life at the moment.

I hated that I had gotten sucked in to my mother's hateful world. She must have been in a really bad mood to lash out at me like that, but I was in no mood to justify her words. They had struck a chord with me, bringing up the old insecurities that had first surfaced when Jessie and I had first broken up.

I had gone through the whole "Was it my fault he had cheated?" phase before Lissa had talked me out of it. Even Christian had helped a little, offering to go beat him up. Even though I knew he wasn't a violent person and I had refused the offer, it had made me feel a little better that he had offered to do that. I was now fully set on the "Best thing I never had" phase when it came to him. I was so over his shit. I think the thing that got me the most when it came to him, was the fact that I had believed him so easily. I had never question him when he told me where he was, or who he was with.

If Ivan hadn't caught him out one night. Jessie hadn't recognised him, but Ivan knew exactly who he was. And was curious as to why he was all over another girl in a bar when I was waiting for him at my place. I loved Ivan. As chilled as a stoner with the fast fist of Mohammed Ali. After taking a couple of pictures for proof of his infidelity, Ivan had given the bastard a black eye. There was a picture of that as well. If Jessie continued with his crap, I was toying with the idea of printing it off and giving it to him as a present. Or a threat, that I would be the one next time to do that to him.

But my mother had had no concept of my relationship with Jessie. Of course she loved him; he managed to turn on the charm whenever he needed it. She had fallen for his lines the same way I had. It didn't help that he had also read a couple of her papers that he had found online. He hadn't understood a single word, but he had managed to sell it to her.

Lissa had been the only one to actually see Jessie for what he was. She never told me her real feelings until after we broke up – she always let me make my own choices, whether or not she thought they were mistakes -

Sitting in the park, I had found an empty bench. My run hadn't done anything for me, my muscles burned but it didn't distract from everything that was going on in my mind. Jessie then my mother in the same night; reality was cruel, like being plunged into ice cold water. It hurt to breathe. It hurt to hold back the tears that fought to escape.

Staring at my phone, I wanted to type everything down and send it to Lissa. She would know what to do. I knew it was my mother who was staying in our apartment, but Liss was someone who could always figure out a bad situation and turn it around. I was pretty sure the only way she could really turn this one around was by throwing my mother out of a window, but that defiantly wasn't going to happen.

I decided to keep it short and simple. I didn't want her to worry too much.

 ** _My mother is in town. Let herself into ours last night – R_**

 ** _Are you alright? – L_**

When it came to my mother, Lissa had been there every step of the way. She was actually the only person I was able to cry in front of – I didn't have a choice, if I was about to start crying, she knew and she stayed. I had tried to kick her out many a time, but using force on my best friend never worked. So, after a couple of times, I had given up. But this time, I couldn't tell her everything that was going on in my head. Not when I didn't understand it myself.

 ** _I'm fine – R_**

 ** _Don't lie to me. I'm coming back, and don't try and stop me – L_**

This was why Lissa was my best friend. I had no idea what I had done to deserve someone like her in my life.

 ** _I've gone for a run, not sure when I'll be back – R_**

 ** _Be Safe. Don't do anything stupid – L_**

That made me smile. I had done some stupid things in my life, and Lissa had been there for all of them. From me fighting with the teachers in high school, to skipping school to – and I'm not proud of it – me being caught shop lifting at the mall. That was just the tip of the iceberg. The fact that she had lost her virginity first had been a surprise to both of us.

"Roza?" a voice broke me out of my emotional haze. Dimitri was standing a couple of feet from me, dressed in a work out top that moulded perfectly to his abs and some sweat pants, breathing heavily with sweating a little. If I hadn't still been so angry, I'm 99% sure I would have jumped him right then and there in the park.

"Comrade?"

"Why are you crying?" I didn't even realise I was. Turning away from him, I brushed away a few stray tears that had managed to escape, embarrassed. "It's nothing."

"It's not nothing." his voice was sweet, the care so evident in his eyes. I really liked his eyes, and his smile, and his arms when they were out. I was right; the man really did look amazing without the suit shirt on.

"It's fine, just a bad hangover, that's all." I could tell he didn't believe me. But thankfully he didn't press,

"So you've decided to run with a bad hangover?"

"Yep, I'm crazy I know."

 **Dimitri POV**

"I don't think you're crazy Roza." No, what I really thought that even without all the make-up on, with very little sleep and fresh off a workout, she still looked stunning even with tears falling down her cheeks. Another one escaped, prompting me to step closer to her. Cupping her cheek, I brushed it away with my thumb.

Growing up with three sisters had its perks; I didn't know everything about how the female mind worked, but I knew enough. I could tell Roza was going through something difficult – she was like an open book to me, her expressions so clear even if she was trying to hide it.

I didn't expect her too; one thing I really got from Rose was that she didn't open up easily. Last night had been different, I got that. Alcohol had been involved, and the ex had shown up and I had been involved in that situation so it was almost as if she had had to tell me. But this was different. It must have been something to do with her mother, but if she didn't want to open up about that right now then fine. I just hoped that one day she would trust me enough to tell me.

I wrapped my arms around her. We had only been separated for about 8 hours, but it felt as if a missing piece had been returned to me. "But I do think you need to stop drinking wine." I teased, stopping myself from asking the questions that I wanted too.

"So you're going to tell me what to do now?"

"Are you going to listen to me?"

"Probably not." She smiled, a little of the sadness disappearing from her face to be replaced by a spark in her eye. "But this time maybe, wine and I don't always get along." She snuggled into my chest, not caring that I had just worked out and was really sweaty. I was defiantly going to need a shower when I got back to my place.

"If it has you crying the next day, then I would say that's a good decision." Placing a kiss on her forehead, I held her for a couple of seconds longer.

 **Rose POV**

Running into Dimitri today was the best part of my day. And it had only just started. Noticing I didn't have my water – it was the one thing I had forgotten at home - he lead me to his place, which actually wasn't that far from mine. But first, I had had to endure a lecture on the dangers of dehydration especially with a hangover. I guess that comes from dating a doctor. If we were even dating. I wouldn't call what we did last night a date, but at this moment I was going to take what I could get with him.

His apartment was the complete opposite to mine. First, it was tidy and looked like it stayed that way. Not that it was so hard; He didn't really have a lot of stuff. Medical journals – the kind that I usually saw in my father's office when I was younger – were stacked neatly on the coffee table. There was a bookcase, but when I went to look at it I couldn't understand half the titles because they were in Russian. The other half looked like western books, with maybe a few crime books thrown in.

There were a couple of pictures dotted around; most of them featured Dimitri surrounded by women. If they didn't all look similar I would have been jealous, I'm not ashamed to admit it. "My family" he said, coming up behind me as I stared at one of the photos. He placed his hand on my waist pulling me into his body like it was a natural thing for him to do. My heart skipped a beat at the contact.

Back to the picture, Dimitri looked really happy in it, holding a little baby as the women stood around him. "It was taken on my mother's 55th birthday, she was so happy to have us all under the same roof that she insisted we took a photo." I took the water he was handing me, downing at least half of it in one gulp. I hadn't realised how thirsty I was. "The women?"

"My sisters, all younger. And my grandmother as well." He said, pointing to a very scary looking woman sitting beside his mother. She must have been nearly 100 years old, and was the only one really taking the photo seriously. To be honest, she kind of scared me a little bit.

"You guys all look great together." I said as the thought of how different my family popped into mind. I couldn't help but compare. No one had bothered to take a proper family photo of us; not like this one. The ones we had were all set up in a professional studio, with harsh florescent lights and my mother forcing me into a dress that I hated. I can wear dresses, but not when they're covered in bows. The rest of the time, my parents were fighting too much for us to have a proper family fun day. "Do you miss them?"

"All the time. Though I don't miss living in that house. It got pretty crazy with five women under one roof."

"I can imagine. My father had a hard enough time dealing with two." I said before I stopped to think about it. Quickly, before he asked any questions about my family, I asked "whose baby is that?"

"My sister, Sonya's. I still talk to them a lot; Paul is the kindest, smartest little boy I have ever known. She's really doing a great job with him." the pride in his voice was so evident I almost started crying again. Reaching up I tried to place a kiss on his cheek, but he turned his head at the last second, so I just caught the corner of his mouth.

Not that I minded, because it started something.

Turning me in his arms, he had me locked in as he kissed me. What was supposed to be a light kiss, deepened as Dimitri steered me toward the Sofa. The last thought I had was ' _this is what should have happened last night'_ before I got lost in him. somehow I managed to end up on Dimitri's lap, straddling his waist as my arms made their way around his neck, trying to keep him as close to me as possible.

I broke away for air, struggling to breathe a little, but his lips continued to travel down my neck, hitting a very sensitive spot that had me shivering in his arms. I could feel him smile against me but, thankfully, he didn't pull away. The fact that we were supposed to be taking it slow was the only thing stopping me from ripping off his work out shirt, though my hands did travel underneath. I wanted to feel his body, his chest hard but warm under my fingers as I travelled up his abs. The man was toned, I will tell you that. I don't know how he managed it, keeping with his work and all, but damn!

Soon his lips found their way back to mine, and I was lost again in a world of pleasure. His hands had started to travel, touching my bare skin as my top rode up a little. His hands may have only stayed on the exposed skin of my lower back, but somehow it was still the most erotic experience of my life.

I could feel something hard growing between us, poking me in the leg. My heart beat faster – if that was possible – and I wanted to grind myself against him. All of my anger from earlier, all of my frustration was bubbling to the surface and coming out now, energy crackling between us.

Before anything could escalate – because we were getting dangerously close to that – my phone gave a loud buzz as it vibrated against the coffee table.

We stopped, but his hands didn't move. I tried to move off him, but he wouldn't let me, my forehead resting on his as we stayed in that position for a while. I was so happy, I didn't want to move. I contemplated ignoring the text completely, but I knew it would be Lissa. And I knew what it would be about. I couldn't let her deal with that on her own.

"Well, I defiantly didn't expect this when I woke up this morning." I laughed

"Roza. Will you go on a date with me." my heart jumped at the words. More time with Dimitri in a public setting would be really good. And it would almost stop me from jumping him; I had a really hard time resisting him.

"Yes." There was no other way I could answer that question. "Text me a date, time and destination and I will be there."

"Good."

He relaxed his grip, allowing me to get off him so I could reach my phone. I was right, the text was from Lissa. It was short, but still managed to fill me with dread.

 _I'm back at ours. You'd better get here soon. – L_


	8. Chapter 8

**Warning: this chapter may contain some disturbing scenes and does mention sex. I look forward to hearing what you guys think.**

 **xx**

 **Chapter Eight**

 **Rose POV**

"Hey Lissa." I said, slightly confused. My best friend was standing in our corridor with her phone in her hand, looking like a supermodel as she leaned against the wall. "What are you doing out here?"

"I didn't want to go in without back up." My stomach dropped with a single question playing in my mind.

"What has she done?" I asked, storming in. "What the fuck?" I exclaimed as I took in our apartment. I had only been gone for about 3 hours, yet she had managed to trash everything.

"Is she still here?" I wanted to kill her, but then I don't think that feeling has ever gone away.

"I haven't heard her, but I didn't want to explore further then the living room just in case I saw something I couldn't burn out of my brain." That was fair enough. The state of the living room made me want to run away back to Dimitri's. It had been turned upside down. Books and DVDs that we had organised to alphabetical perfection scattered the floor, joining the pile of clothes that mom had scattered everywhere.

"Can you call the locksmith; we need to have it changed." I should have done it the second Jessie and I had broken up, but I had completely forgotten that he had a key. Such a stupid fucking mistake.

"Why?"

"She has a key."

"How the hell did she-"

"Jessie."

"You're kidding me."

"Nope. Giving him one was obviously the biggest mistake of my life." Collapsing on the couch, I curled up, placing my head on my knees. How did my life get so fucked up?

"I thought dating him was."

"Well this comes close second. They are both so fucking unbelievable."

Lissa sat down next to me, shoving a pile of clothes on the floor. Not that it mattered; we'd have to spend hours cleaning it up later.

"What happened this morning?"

"She did the usual Janine Hathaway act with a twist; it was my fault Jessie had cheated, but it would all be alright because if I was to apologise to him he would take me back." Like that would ever happen. Not when I had Dimitri.

"She didn't."

"Oh but she did."

"Are you -?"

"I didn't spiral. Jessie is basically the human version of cancer to me now; painful and life draining but there is no way I am going to let him win."

She smiled "I'm proud of you."

"For what."

"For being strong. For becoming a better woman than the one who raised you. For dumping Jessie. You have a job, you're supporting yourself and you're going to school on top of that. What I am saying is, you're amazing Rose."

"I wouldn't be anything without you. I would probably have become a whore if you hadn't been there."

"I don't believe that."

Before she could say anything else, we heard a small noise coming from my room that disturbed the hell out of me. We could clearly hear my mother was moaning and grunting. The look on Lissa's face said it all; a mixture of fear and disgust as the banging started. I was going to have to get a new bed, and new sheets, and maybe bleach the room. No. I would burn the room.

We were about to get up and leave when we heard him speak, the voice clear and loud enough that we could hear it from the couch we were sitting on. A fresh wave of nausea hit me as I realised the two people that had caused me the most pain in the world where having sex on my bed.

That was it; I lost control, my anger coming back in full force and this time taking over my body. Taking my mom's bags that were still in our living room, I threw them out into the corridor, picking the rest of the clothes she had off the floor. Her work suits followed. Soon, she would too.

"Rose, don't" Lissa said, trying to stop me as I picked up the baseball bat we kept for security purposes and stormed to my room. Throwing open my bedroom door, my worst fears were confirmed. My mother on her back, completely naked as Jessie screwed her. They were too wrapped up in the disgusting act to notice my entrance.

In a fit of rage, I charged toward the bed; grabbing Jessie I threw him off my mother with such force, he smashed into the wall, groaning as he slid down and slumped on the floor. I hoped I had done some damage.

"Rosemarie, what in the hell?" My mother didn't even have the decency to cover up.

"Don't talk. Don't say another fucking word. I am going to leave with Lissa; we will be gone for a couple of hours. By the time we get back, both of you better be gone or I will call the police."

"Rose" Jessie tried to talk, but I swung the bat up so he flinched. He had never looked so small, curled up in a ball naked. The only way he could have looked more pathetic was if he was crying. I was so tempted to make him cry.

"No. I am done with both of you. You are both dead to me."

"But I am your mother."

"I have no Mother. I haven't had one for a long time."

"Rose" Jessie tried to talk but I started to swing the baseball bat to him. I was so close to smashing his head. "You should have left my life a year ago you bastard. Leave. Me. Alone."

Lissa had to hold me back from smashing something, grabbing the baseball bat as I tried to swing. She wasn't as strong as I was, but she had some power behind her, practically dragging me out of the room. The front door slammed behind us as she steered me out of the building; clambering over the clothes in the corridor. She knew better than to tell me to calm down.

Lissa took me to Christian's place, the ride silent as she drove. I wanted to cry, I could feel the tears building up inside me but they just weren't flowing. I just couldn't cry over them anymore. I think I just felt relieved. I was finally done with them. They couldn't come back in my life, they wouldn't be that stupid. I was going to have to change my number and Lissa said we would call the locksmith the second they left the place. We couldn't take any chances with them getting keys.

As she drove on, the pain in my chest started to numb. By the time we got to Christians place I just felt empty. People were talking around me, but I couldn't make out the words clearly. I swore I heard my name a couple of times, but I just couldn't bring myself to focus. I was in a daze; I didn't really fully come back to it until I was sitting on Christians couch. Someone was calling my name.

It sounded an awful lot like Dimitri.

What was Dimitri doing at Christians?

I felt myself being lifted as he placed me on his lap, his arms cradling me as I cuddled into his chest. Right then I knew that this is where I wanted to be.

 **Dimitri POV**

I had gone to Christians, hoping for some help on my case. Though as we tried to sort it out, he became even more confused than I did. "I don't understand." He kept saying as he flicked through the file for the millionth time "Her symptoms don't make sense. There is physically no reason for her to end up like this. She should be fine"

"Maybe not a physical one."

"What are you on about Dimitri?"

"What about a mental one? Did you read Alto's newest paper? I mean I don't like the man, but he had a few ideas there."

"What the one about how mental injuries can cause physical symptoms? Sounded like a load of old Fraud crap to me." I had thought that the first time I had read it. Alto had always been a bit out there for me, most of his theories stemming from Freudian beliefs which I found ridiculous. But still.

"What other explanation is there?" I asked. I had been working on this thing since Roza left, my mind snapping into work mode. I finally felt like I was on to something, and thankfully, I still had a full 7 hours before my shift started tonight. That would mean I would probably bury myself in books for most of that – I wouldn't be able to sleep until I figured it out.

Suddenly, the front door opened. Lissa came in with the worst look on her face followed by my Roza. My stomach dropped. Roza looked like a zombie, dragging her feet as Lissa helped her to the couch. "Liss, what the hell-"

"Rose's mother is in town."

The second he heard that Christian was out of his chair, crouching down in front of Roza as he started a rudimentary medical exam. "What happened? It's almost as if Rose is in shock."

"Janine basically trashed our place, and then we walked in on her and Jessie...if I say it I'm going to throw up. It's going to take me days to get the image out of my mind."

"What the fuck was Jessie-"

"Don't ask me, I can't explain this. Janine did really like Jessie when he was dating Rose; I saw her flirting with him more than once but I didn't think she would actually do something like this."

"Rose, can you hear me?" Christian called out, but my Roza barely responded.

"Roza?" I called out. There was only a slight response, but it was still better than the one Christian had got. I couldn't help myself; in a second I was at her side, drawing her onto my lap. She was shaking a little as she curled into me, her head resting on my shoulder. Kissing her forehead, I held her close as I rocked her gently. It broke my heart to see her like this. It was strange to think that it had only been a couple of hours since she had wrapped herself around me.

 **Rose POV**

Dimitri held me for a long time before I let go and got to my feet. What I really needed was to punch something, preferable Jessie's face. The bastard. For some reason, with him I was always left feeling like a victim and it fucking sucked. I hated him. I wanted him dead. And not just death, I wanted him and my mother to die the most painful death imaginable.

I was starting to scare the crap out of myself. I had never felt this much hatred before.

"Roza," Dimitri said, taking my hands in his. I could feel myself shaking. "What do you want to do?"

"I want to go to bed. I want to sleep this away and pretend that the last couple of hours didn't happen. But I need to go back to my place –"

"Roza..."

"I need to make sure they've left so we can change the locks. And I need to grab my work top. I missed classes today; I can't not go to work."

"No." Lissa said her firm face on; she was funny when she tried to take charge. "Christian and I will go; I can't have you becoming a murderer."

"Liss-"

"It's my place too."

"But she's" I couldn't formulate the words. I had to get used to the fact that I had disowned her; I had no idea what the call her now. She truly meant nothing to me now.

"It's fine." Lissa said as she and Christian got ready to leave. "I'll call Ivan and fill him in; he can come as back up. Just stay here with Dimitri. Where's your work top, I'll grab it for you and some extra clothes as well."

Five minutes later, Dimitri and I were left in the apartment. I had meant what I had said; I really did want to sleep. I wanted to forget everything that had happened, and I wanted him to help me do that. Leading him to the spare room, I collapsed on the bed.

"Roza."

"Can you just hold me Dimitri? Please?" I asked, turning around until I was facing him. Gently, he lowered himself down until he was laying next to me, his arm placed over my head so I could comfortably snuggle into his side. Throwing my arm around his waist, I had to get as close to him as possible.

Reaching up I placed a small kiss on his jaw line "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For taking care of me, and for not running."

"Trust me when I say this Roza, I could never run from you."


	9. Chapter 9

**Thank you to everyone who's reviewed so far, I've loved hearing your comments. Hope you enjoy this chapter.**

 **xx**

 **Chapter Nine**

 **Rose POV**

Waking up next to Dimitri was the best experience I had ever had in my life. We had moved during our nap, his arm around my waist as I was pulled into his chest. We were spooning. And I had never felt so small compared to a guy. But it wasn't a bad feeling. He didn't suffocate me or make me feel trapped. With him, there was only comfort which was exactly what I needed right now.

"Roza," Dimitri whispered against my shoulder, his breath tickling my ear. "Beautiful Roza." He continued. He was obviously still asleep, because his next sentence came out in what was probably Russian. I couldn't understand a word. But being there with him like this, I never wanted that moment to end.

Moving in his arms – with great difficulty, seeing as his arm practically held me in place – I could see his face as he slept. He looked so peaceful and, if possible, even more handsome. Brushing a lock of hair away from his forehead as gently as possible, I sighed. He could be anywhere in the world, with anyone right now, and yet he was here with me. The thought seemed impossible.

Lissa would probably scream at me if she knew what I was thinking, and I got it. Jessie had taken a lot of my confidence away once we were done. The break up had been nasty, the things he had said to me – not that I didn't say some bad things in return – had had me spiralling out of control. I had self esteem issues that I knew I had to work on, and I had worked through most of them. I knew I was too good for Jessie, and I knew I hadn't deserved the parents that I had.

In a sick way, I had wished I could have traded my parents for Lissa's. Her mother and father had been amazing. Literally everything a parent should be. Supportive, kind and caring, they had even taken me in after a really bad falling out with my mother when I was 16. Dad had been gone a year, I was in a bad mood, she had been drinking and it had ended with me standing on Lissa's doorstep with a bag of clothes.

No questions were asked, they just set another place at the dinner table and I stayed with them until I was brave enough to go back to my mother.

I should probably call her my ex-mother now. Two nightmare ex's intent on ruining my life. But then what did I really expect when it came to those two.

Focusing back on Dimitri, I could tell he was waking up.

"Are you watching me sleep Roza?" he smiled, his eyes still closed as he rolled onto his back.

"How could I not when it's such a good view?" I teased, kissing him on the cheek. In the background I could hear voices coming from the kitchen, giving us the signal to move; though I couldn't. As I tried to move away from Dimitri, he pulled me in closer, his arm wrapping tightly against me as he pulled me on top of him. I loved this position.

"How are you feeling?" He asked blinking as his eyes opened. "Better now. Thank you."

"For what?"

"For holding me, you didn't have too."

"I wanted too Roza. Please, trust me when I say there is nowhere I would rather be." I smiled, placing another kiss on his cheek. But he had pulled the same move as before, tilting his head so I caught his lips instead.

I could never grow tired of kissing Dimitri. Unlike the fire and passion I had experienced from us earlier – god, had that only been this morning? – This kiss was sweet, slow and steady. I could feel it all the way through my body as his lips moved against mine. He was making me feel things I couldn't explain, like the things you only read about in books. Was he really the knight come to rescue me. God that was cheesy ' _STOP THINKING ROSE'._

Dimitri pulled away "I think we need to get up." He said, but I whined. Kissing me like that wasn't fair. I didn't want to leave this bed now or ever because of that kiss. I knew it wasn't logical, but still.

"Yeah, I think we do too." I said but I didn't move, watching him as he got out of bed. Damn he was beyond handsome. I usually didn't go for guys with long hair, but on he had changed my mind. I loved his shoulder length hair; running my hands through it was becoming one of my favourite things.

"Roza." He stood at the edge of the bed, holding out his hand to help me up. I didn't want to take it. If I did, if we went out there, I would have to deal with the drama Janine had left behind and I didn't want to. Here in this room with Dimitri I was happy, anything beyond the door didn't matter. Janine, Jessie, they didn't exist in my mind. I wanted to ignore all responsibility and just hide from the world.

The look on Dimitri's face told me I couldn't do that. Taking his hand, he lifted me out of the bed.

Walking into the kitchen with Dimitri's hand in mine, the first thing we saw was Lissa who was pacing around. She was pissed off – not surprising really considering the people involved. Christian and Ivan were sitting at the table, watching as Lissa ranted.

"She really is the worst human being ever. Rose defiantly doesn't deserve her as a mother; I was surprised she was allowed to keep Rose when she was younger. And now, it's like she's finding new ways to mess with her own daughter and she's laughing about it. It's disgusting, they're both disgusting"

"Tell me something new." I said, interrupting the rant. Lissa spun towards me, crossing the room to throw her arms around me. I rarely saw Lissa worked up like this, it only really happened when she was pushing herself too hard; the SAT's had been a nightmare. We had had our first and last argument during that time. It had not been pretty.

This time the anger wasn't directed towards me, and I kind of liked this side of her. It was like some of my angry side had rubbed off on her and I was a little proud.

"What did she do?"

"What didn't she do? She locked herself in so the door is now in splinters; sorry about that by the way." Ivan said, taking a swig of his beer. Looking closely at his hands, I could see the cuts. He had defiantly punched something. "When we finally got it, it was like a nightmare in there. She was screaming and crying throwing everything she could get her hands on at us. Jessie fled the second the door opened."

"The coward."

"He kind of ran into my fist on his way to the door. He gave himself a lovely black eye." Ivan looked pretty pleased at that.

"Sure he did."

"That is my story and I'm sticking to it." I smiled, stepping away from Dimitri and wrapping my arms around Ivan's neck as I hugged him from behind. "Thank you." I said, kissing him on the head before letting him go. "What happened after that?"

"She locked herself in the bathroom. At that point, we thought it best to call the cops."

"What? Seriously?"

"There was no way we could get her out, so I called a couple of my friends. It's great when your partners in law enforcement. They got there in five and ended up arresting her. She's down at the precinct right now getting booked."

"What about the apartment?" I asked, looking at Lissa who

"She destroyed almost everything. Thankfully, she didn't touch mine or Jill's room."

"But mine?" my stomach dropped. Of course Janine wouldn't go down quietly. Thinking back, I could remember the last argument my parents had had; considering they were pretty explosive already, this one had topped every one they had ever had. Janine had been drunk, – surprise, surprise – Abe had just got back from a long business trip and Janine had been so convinced he had cheated on her. This was an old argument, something they had shouted about so many times that I had the sound of her screaming stuck in my brain.

Abe was insistent, shouting that he hadn't and he wouldn't. But Janine had found something that had made her spiral and at this point she was so far gone, she picked up a vase that had been part of Abe's family for several generations, and had threw it at his head. It had missed, and smashed on the wall behind him.

He had gone absolutely mental before picking up his bad and walking out. She hadn't seen him since.

He still contacted me occasionally – the rare birthday/Christmas card came in the post a couple of months late. He had also set me up with a bank account that I had refused to use. I hated taking his money, but it came in handy when I needed a new laptop or something. He would most likely be paying for the damage she had inflicted on my apartment. Last I knew about him he was back in turkey. I kind of hated him for not taking me with him.

"Almost everything was destroyed. Rose, I'm sorry but-"

"No, it's fine Lissa. It's just stuff that can be replaced. Besides, I did disown her; I was crazy to expect she would take that quietly." I didn't get my crazy side from know where, I just had more control than she did. I also wasn't an alcoholic – those days were far behind me.

"Rose, you can't go back there."

"What, why? If I burn the sheets I'm pretty sure the beds going to be fine to sleep on."

"She destroyed everything when she was locked in there. Your bed is literally in pieces, your clothes all cut up and I'm pretty sure she smashed your laptop. There is also no way you are going to want to sleep on that mattress now."

"Fuck." I shouted. Clothes were whatever, and I didn't do sentimental things so there was nothing I would really miss. But did she have to go for my laptop? I had saved up for years to pay for it, it had all my collage work on and I had a major essay due in a couple of weeks. All my work just gone like that. I was going to have to kill myself to get this in on time – there would be no way I would be able to get an extension on this.

Janine had truly fucked me over.

I was going to have to go to a hotel, get a room with Abe's emergency credit card and try to fix all of Janine's mistakes. It was starting to feel like I was living in an endless cycle of getting screwed over by her and picking up the pieces again and again. This would defiantly be the last time. It had to be.

"What am I going to do?" I asked, trying not to drag Dimitri back into Christian's spare room and stay there forever. "How am I going to go into work without my uniform?"

"Actually." Lissa said, picking her bag off the floor "You mixed some of your clothes in with my laundry, so you do have some stuff. Including this." She pulled out my work top. Well at least one thing was going right. "Are you sure you're going to be able to handle work tonight?"

"Trust me, the peace and quiet of the graveyard shift is exactly what I need right now." Actually, what I really needed was Dimitri in our bubble, but that really wasn't going to happen. Work hopefully wouldn't be too busy tonight, if it was then it would give me something to think about other then the car crash that was my life. I would have to sort out the hotel when I finished but that shouldn't be an issue; there were a couple close by. Everything else could be sorted out after I had a 13 hour nap.

"Rose, do you want to stay here?" Christian asked me to my surprise. He looked even more depressed then I could ever remember seeing him, though there was pity in there. Of course, he knew all about the Janine train wreck – Lissa had told him all he needed to know on that subject. And I knew I couldn't stay around here for the couple of weeks it would take for the apartment to get fixed. Not if he kept giving me that look. Besides, we wouldn't be able to live together for very long.

"Thanks for the offer Christian, but no thank you. I think it's time my father contributed to my life." I smiled "But do you mind if I take a shower before work?"

"Go ahead."

Before I could shut myself off from the world, Dimitri grabbed my hand. "Hey, I'm going to have to go soon. I have to get ready for work."

"Okay Comrade. Have a good shift." I said, not really knowing what to say to him right now. There was no way I was going to be able to explain all this to him quickly. I wished I could read his mind, because then I would know what he was thinking about all this. Insecurities flared up as I thought about it. I was going to need a lot of time to explain, and I know he hadn't run away from me yet. But he only knew a fraction of the story. Once he knew everything...

"Thank you Roza." He smiled, pulling me in to him for a kiss. My insecurities were pushed down a little, just below the surface as his lips touched mine. If he didn't run away once I had told him everything, then he truly would be a miracle.


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey guys, sorry for the late update. I can't wait to hear what you think about this, i hope you enjoy it.**

 **xx**

 **Chapter Ten**

 **Rose POV**

Work was busy but that was good; the endless stream of customers helped me forget about everything that had happened. I don't know how I could explain it, but the second my uniform comes on I can switch off. Nothing matters besides coffee. And occasionally collage notes. Though, today it was a little harder to ignore the sombre vibe that covered the canteen. It wasn't unusual to see people crying over a cup of coffee. Glancing over the tables I could see what I assumed was a mother daughter pair, the mothers arm wrapped around the daughter's shoulder as she wept into her herbal tea. Usually, I could ignore it because I saw that level of emotion a lot. But today, I found it heartbreaking.

Because I realised I would never have that with Janine.

"Rose?" Alberta called out, breaking me out of my day dream. She looked super stressed, but then when did she not? From what she had told me, being head nurse wasn't an easy job; especially with Kirova as chief of surgery. I hadn't spent a lot of time in that woman's presence, but I could tell she was a bitch. She also didn't like me.

"Hey Al" I smiled one of the only genuine smiles I could really give tonight "Coffee?" I asked, reaching for a large cup.

"Please. You okay Doll? Christian told me your mother was in town." I was going to kill him. I love Alberta, but I didn't need everyone knowing my business. Not that she would spread this, but in a place like this, you can't keep your business in for very long. I just needed to keep calm. I hate crying. In public is the worst. At work is never going to happen. "She's going to give a talk here soon."

"She's what?!" u asked, spilling some of Alberta's coffee on the counter. Fuck. Not only was she destroying my personal life but she was going to insert herself into this place? Was nowhere safe from her? "When is she going to be here?"

"Around two tomorrow; Kirova asked her in for a personal favour. I had no idea Dr. Janine Hathaway was your mother, that woman is a legend." Yeah, it wasn't something I liked to spread around.

"I didn't know you were into psychology."

"I took a couple of courses in Collage before I turned to nursing. More interested in the body then the mind."

"Are you going?"

"If I can drag myself away from the desk. Hon, that woman in like a legend in the psych world, the interns are so lucky they've got her. Though I have heard from my sources that she can be a bit of a bitch." well that was the understatement of the century.

"Well, where do you think I got it from?"

"Well that explains it."

"So how's it going up there?" I asked, wondering where the hell everyone was. I had been here a couple of hours, but no one had come in for a coffee break yet which had me worried. Christian basically lived off the stuff in the night shifts, though he hated the stuff they had in the Doctors lounge; I had heard him bitching about it enough. God help his patients tonight, though I supposed the adrenalin he must be running off of would help him.

"It's crazy, we got people running around like crazy, people coding all over the place. And I will tell you, when your man came out of his surgery, he was not happy."

"My man?"

"Don't play dumb with me honey. After Christians engagement party, Dimitri is so your man."

"Alberta –"

"Honey, I have got to get back up there. But one day we will sit down and you will give me all the details on that sexy doctor. You are a lucky girl."

"I know." I smiled as she sent me a wink and walked away.

A couple more hours past and it seemed like nobody was getting good news. I must have served a couple of crying people – one I had to try to point to the menu to guess what she wanted because I couldn't understand her through her tears.

Thankfully, Mia sent me on my break after that one. Grabbing a cup of coffee, I headed outside, needing the fresh air on my face. Someone had built a garden for the patients and their families, a small place filled with flowers and tress just outside of the canteen; it was the only place here that tricked you into believing you weren't in a hospital. I loved it. Usually at this time, there were a couple of people here. But thankfully, tonight, I it was empty. Except for one person.

He sat on the bench in the shadows, hunched over with his hands on his knees as if he were praying; though I didn't really take Dimitri for the religious type. He was in his scrubs, his hair covering his face as he stared at the ground.

I didn't know if I should go over to him; I didn't want to disturb him. But I also wanted to wrap my arms around him until he felt better.

I couldn't. Turning to leave, I could just sit in the back and let him have his time.

"Roza?"

"Hey, Comrade" I smiled a little. Walking over to him, I took a spot on the bench next to him as he leaned back. I didn't really know what to say, I hadn't seen Dimitri like this. I knew he was quiet, but this was a whole other level. His face was screwed up a little, the frown lines deepening as he stared up at the nights sky. Taking a little risk, I leaned my head against his shoulder.

"I should have known."

"Sorry?"

"My patient. Complications. I should have known. I could have stopped-"He didn't finish his sentence. Reaching out, I took his hand in my, closing my fingers round his because that's the only thing I could think of to do. I knew he needed comfort, but I didn't know how. So I just sat there in silence with him, with my hand in his as we let the cold air wash over us. His fingers closed around mine in a firm grip.

We didn't talk. Checking the time, I knew I had a couple of minutes until my break was finished and I had to get back to work. "Hey, I have to go back in there." I said, shaking our hands a little. I didn't want to leave him like this – from what I could tell he didn't take death well. Strange for a surgeon.

"Okay." He whispered, but he didn't let go of my hand.

"Are you?"

"Sorry?"

"We don't have to talk about whatever's going on in your head Comrade. But I do need to know if you're okay." I couldn't lie to myself, I was worried. How would he deal with this? My mind was jumping to conclusions of scenarios of Dimitri drinking, drowning his sorrows. But I brushed them aside. I knew Dimitri wasn't like that, he was stronger. And if he wasn't, then hopefully Christian would have warned me about something like that.

"Roza." He whispered, pulling me into his arms. "I'm okay." He might have been saying that, but I knew he didn't believe it. His body felt wrong, his arms too tense as he held me so I knew he was lying not only to me, but to himself. If we had the time, I could wrap myself around him and kiss him until he forgot his pain. God knows it worked for me.

Reaching up, I placed a small kiss on his lips as my hands ran through his hair.

 **Dimitri POV**

Tonight had been a nightmare. I forgot about the full moon rule, but was quickly reminded as the halls started to fill up. I didn't dare go into the waiting rooms; people would pounce on me the second they saw my scrubs. The first couple of hours of my shift where chasing after people that had paged me for a consult. Thankfully, there hadn't been anything serious that I had needed to attend too, just the general stitches that I had delegated to interns. They needed the practise more than I did.

Then there had been one idiot that had decided to climb on the roof of a bar that wouldn't let him in because he had been that drunk. He had fallen off, taking a spectacular noise dive and landing on an iron bar from next doors renovations. He was lucky to be alive.

Soon, I found myself scrubbing up, going over the procedure in my mind over and over again to make sure I could get all the steps right before I was ready. It was going smoothly, the bar was able to be extracted from the abdomen and there wasn't any permanent damage to any vital organs. The appendix had taken a hit, causing us to take it out, but the idiot would survive without it.

Just as we were about to close up, I got the page. My patient, the one with the mysterious lung collapse was going downhill with reports that her organs were failing. Leaving the rest of my team to close up, I ran all the way to her room that was a couple of floors away from the operating theatre.

Her husband was at her bedside, clutching her hand with tears streaming down her face when I got there. Having to forcibly remove him from her side was half the problem. The other half was figuring out what to do. I started barking orders at the nurses, doing everything I could to keep this woman alive. She needed to live. She had a husband, she had a family – her oldest son working on Wall Street as an investment broker and her youngest just graduated from Yale – she had a good life that she had to continue. She was going into cardiac shock, her heart beat erratic.

From that point on, everything went fast. I blinked, and we were in the operating room. I blinked again, as she was seizing on the table. I blinked one last time, and she was gone.

Time of Death, 1:03 am.

Talking to the husband was the worst part. He was angry, throwing blame and fists against my chest as he tried to lash out at me. I took it, he wasn't doing any damage and restraining him wasn't going to do anything except hurt him more.

I needed to get out so I could breathe, ignoring the calls I got from Alberta and heading to the patients garden.

Thankfully it was empty when I got there. Picking a bench I sat down, thinking everything over as a wave of guilt overtook me. I had killed her. By not figuring out what was wrong with her in time, I had killed her. She was 60; she had years to live if this hadn't happened to her. Now she wouldn't watch her youngest walk down the aisle, or see her grandchildren born. I felt like I had robbed her of those moments.

This was the trouble when it came to investing in your patients lives. I knew I shouldn't do it, it fought against the nature of surgery, but it just wasn't me. I would deal with the guilt and the blame; I would learn from my mistakes and I would move on and take the knowledge to the next patient that needs the same help.

This was one I wouldn't be able to let go.

Someone had entered the garden. I didn't even need to move to know who it was; I could smell her perfume from where she was standing. My Roza.

She stayed by my side as long as she could; even though we didn't talk, she helped. The guilt that was still there wasn't as prominent, my heart ached a little less as she took my hand. It was amazing I could still feel love after tonight. Because that is what I felt for her. I was in love with this woman. It was crazy, but I knew it as we sat together in silence. So much for going slow.

Going back up to the surgical floor, I had to put my patient behind me as best as I could. One look from Alberta told me she was going to send me home, but I couldn't do that. I was here, I could do my job. And I would.

Until one person stopped me.

"Stay away from Rose." Jessie snarled as he got in my face, but he looked like an angry kitten. I could see Christian and Alberta watching us from the nurses' station like he was about to come over. I shook my head, I couldn't get people involved in this, not with the way Jessie was acting. I needed to get him out of here before things got violent, because I could tell that was where he was heading. Well if I didn't get there first. I was squashing the urge to slam him against the wall. After everything he had done to Roza, I wanted to hurt him.

"Excuse me?" I said, trying to keep professional.

"Rose is mine. She was always meant to be mine, and no Russian cowboy is going to get in the way of me and my future wife." Now I was getting angry, and I couldn't do anything in a hall full of patients. Thankfully, I didn't have too. Christian came over, pushing Jessie through the nearest door.

The three of us ended up in an empty lab. Jessie didn't even have the brains to look scared, though Christian had murder in his eyes. We were here for Roza, and there was no way either of us was going to let this piece of shit hurt my – our – girl again.


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey guys, hope you enjoy the chapter. Can't wait to hear what you think.**

 **xx**

 **Chapter Eleven**

 **Dimitri POV**

I laughed. Was this guy so fucking delusional that he could actually think, after all he had done. He was crazy. I was actually contemplating sending him up to the psych ward to get him tested. I should have listened to that instinct. Instead, I just stood there and laughed. I couldn't stop it. The night must have been catching up with me, because I was so drained. I still wanted to punch him. I wanted to hurt him for everything he had done to my Roza.

My laugh made him angrier. Christian just looked confused.

Finally, I calmed down enough to say. "You actually think, that after what she witnessed yesterday, that she would go back to you?"

"That was a mistake. She will forgive me."

"No she wont Jessie. And if you believe that then you must think Roza the stupidest woman on the planet."

"Her name is Rose, not Roza!"

"It doesn't matter to you anymore. You don't matter to her anymore. Not after all the pain you have caused her. Not after everything you have put her through. Don't go near her again Jessie."

"Or what? What are you going to do?"

"Oh, I'm not going to do anything. I don't have to do anything but stand back and watch as Roza attacks you. Because she will."

"Don't fucking call her that! She loves me." Jessie spat, his face a picture of fury.

"She never loved you." I didn't know if that was true, but I had a feeling it might have been. She couldn't have loved him. The Roza I knew was smarter than that. "Well, if she ever did, she certainly doesn't love you now."

"That is not true." He was very close to hitting me, I could see that. In fact, a part of me wanted him too. I knew how to fight, I was pretty good at it. But I also knew never to be the one to start it. I wouldn't lay a hand on him until he came for me first, though the temptation was there. He had hurt my Roza. "She is mine, do you hear me. MINE! And if I can't have her –" he didn't finish the threat. But then it wasn't much of a threat. He could come after me with all he had, but he wouldn't get anywhere.

"Get this into your head. Roza was never yours, because a woman is not a possession. You cannot force her to do anything she doesn't want to do, especially someone like my Roza." I realised the words that had come out, but I couldn't take them back. I got very close to Jessie, towering over him by at least a foot with a calm look on my face and my voice cold. I knew how to intimidate people. I had had to back in Russia, even if I didn't like doing it. But if this is what got the message through to Jessie, then I would do it. For her. "Stay away from her Jessie."

"Or What?" He tried to say, but his voice came out as a squeak. He was terrified of me, I could see it in his face.

"Or I will be forced to take action." I said, putting more power behind my words then necessary. I didn't threaten to kill him outright, but I think he got the message. Probably because Christian was standing behind me, blocking the door as he twirled a scalpel in his hands; the look on his face as deadly as I pictured mine was.

Jessie sent us both a death glare before he pushed past Christian and out the door, knocking Alberta over as he left.

"Do I need to call security boys?"

"No need. He won't be back." I hoped. But then, this guy seemed to be crazy enough. Looking at the time, I breathed a sigh of relief as I saw it was 6:00. Roza would have left an hour ago when her shift ended, meaning that Jessie wouldn't get to her tonight. He had no idea where she was. But then my heart dropped. I wanted her here with me right now. What Jessie said had struck a warning chord with me, one that wanted to keep Roza by my side at all times so that I would be able to protect her. I also just wanted to hold her.

Crap. I didn't know where she was either, she hadn't booked the hotel last night.

Opening my phone, I clicked on Roza's name.

 _I need to see you – D_

I typed out. Taking a deep breath, I pressed send.

 **Rose POV**

The night had been long, but the time with Dimitri had helped even if we hadn't said anything. In his presence, I felt calm, like nothing could hurt me. But I couldn't deny, it felt fucking awesome when my shift was finally over. Walking out of those doors, my head felt clear like I could finally think again, which was good as I needed to figure out a place to stay.

Opening my phone, I saw I had a text from Lissa that actually made me want to kill her and hug her at the same time.

 _Don't argue with me, I've booked you a room at The Liberty. They're expecting you by 5:30. Don't worry, I sorted everything, all you have to do is turn up. Stay safe, love you – L_

She really made me want to cry sometimes. The Liberty? That was one of the fanciest hotels in Boston, and I couldn't believe – well, actually, I could. Because this was Lissa and she loved me.

 _You didn't have to. Thank you. See you soon. Love you – R_

A wave of gratitude washed over me, mingling with a wave of tiredness. I really felt drained, and I couldn't wait to collapse in that bed when I got there. Thankfully, Lissa had let me use her car to get to work tonight – I couldn't deal with taking the bus, and getting taxi's everywhere was expensive. She had a couple of days off now and thankfully Christian had also managed to get time off too. She assured me, they wouldn't be leaving his apartment which was part of the reason I had wanted to get a hotel room. If I stayed at Sparky's, I would totally be bringing down the newly engaged vibe they had going on. They needed to be together. And I needed to be alone. Or With Dimitri.

Throwing my bad in the car with the rest of my stuff I had grabbed from Christians, I was off.

Stepping into the hotel lobby, I felt out of place in my work uniform. Thankfully not a lot of people were awake to see me in my fresh from work state, but I still felt out of place. Getting the room key wasn't a hassle as Lissa had sent me all the details, though I did get some questionable looks from the staff which I answered with a raised eyebrow. I couldn't be dealing with their judgemental shit right now.

The room was magnificent. About twice the size of my old room with a huge bed in the middle, a TV on the wall and a balcony that overlooked Boston Harbour. It was truly glorious, though I couldn't fully appreciate it because I was so tired. I needed a shower, I needed food and I needed sleep.

Stepping into the shower, the water felt so good I wished I could have stayed in there forever. A powerful stream of hot water hit my back, washing away the past 48 hours of crap. I hadn't even realised how tense I had become, but then both of them did do that to me.

No, I wasn't going to think about them.

Stepping out of the shower, I had relaxed a little bit. I actually felt good, but I did need to sleep. So I jumped on the bed, landing in the middle on a pile of pillows that I immediately sank into, letting them take me.

Before I could drift off to sleep, my phone vibrated on the nightstand. My heart beat faster as I read who it was from.

 _I need to see you – D_

Without a second thought, I sent him my room number. I wanted him here, lying next to me in this huge bed – it was starting to feel weird with this much empty space. And I missed him. I hoped he was okay, I know he had had a rough night losing a patient. It made me sad that he took their deaths so hard, but it also made me care for him more. He put his heart into everything he did, and he cared so much about his patients that I couldn't help but fall for him a little more.

Because that was what was happening. I was falling for Dimitri.

Crap.

I was being stupid. I shouldn't be feeling things like this, not this fast, not only after a couple of freaking days knowing him. Well, I knew I had known him for more than a couple of days – I had started to lust after him the first time I saw him in those scrubs. Lust I could handle, but this? I knew it was deeper than anything I had really felt in my life, and I knew it had started since that first kiss. The first time he had saved me from Jessie.

I needed some fresh air. Even though it was hard to leave the bed, I managed to extract myself from the pillows and make my way out onto the balcony. The sun was coming up, the sky filled with pinks and blues and purples. I loved watching the sunrise. It had always made me feel better, like it signalled a fresh start. A new day. The first day without a mother.

I didn't need to think about her right now.

Thankfully, a knock came at the door breaking me out of my thoughts; I almost tripped over the chairs on the balcony to get to him. Because there he was, in all his 'fresh from work' glory, looking like he hadn't seen me in days.

"Hey Comrade." I smiled, stepping aside to let him in. the next thing I knew, the front door was closed and I was pressed against it, Dimitri holding me in place with one hand on my waist and one hand on the door next to me as he kissed me hard. Somehow, I found the energy to kiss him back just as hard, letting all my insecurities go.

He wasn't Jessie.

He wasn't going to hurt me like Jessie had.

Pain wasn't going to replace the pleasure he was making me feel right now. It just couldn't.

"Roza," he whispered as he pulled away, resting his forehead on mine as he caught his breath. My heart was beating fast against my chest, so loud that I thought he could hear it. He looked so tired with dark circles under his eyes that I just wanted to wrap him up in the bed with me and take his pain away.

"What's wrong?" I asked, but a yawn took over his face. "Apart from you needing sleep?"

I looked him dead in the eye, I could tell something was on that beautiful mind of his. But he shook his head slightly, pulling away from me as he stepped further into the room. "I should go."

"What?"

"We both need to sleep okay, this can wait a couple of hours."

"And how will you get home?"

"I will drive."

"Oh hell no." My overprotective side was coming out. There was no way I wanted him behind the wheel if he was this tired, it was a miracle he managed to drive here. I didn't even know he had a car. Stepping away from him, I grabbed one of the hotel towels and threw it towards him. He didn't even have the energy to catch it. "You will get in the shower, and then you will get into this huge bed with me and we will both sleep. Yes?"

"Roza." He had his warning tone, but I wasn't backing down from this.

"I need you here Dimitri. Please stay." I sounded pathetic, but I didn't care. What was it about him that made me feel everything was going to be okay? Walking up to him, I wrapped my arms around his waist. He made me feel so small against him, but in a way that made me feel good. Like he would protect me from anything. Like I was safe. I had never really felt that before, and that is exactly what I wanted right now. With all this crazy shit going on in my life, I just wanted to feel safe.

"I will stay." He whispered, bending down so that I could kiss him. His lips were soft and gentle against mine, making me smile as we pulled away. Picking up the towel, he disappeared into the bathroom. The thought of joining him crossed my mind, but he was right. What we had shouldn't be rushed. He was starting to mean too much to me for something like that to ruin it.


	12. Chapter 12

**Sorry about the late update guys, had a little internet trouble over the past week. But here it is! Hope you enjoy.**

 **xx**

 **Chapter Twelve**

 **Rose POV**

I woke up in a panic. There was no way my walls were this white and my bed defiantly wasn't this soft. I tried to move, but something was weighing me down. Then this morning came flooding back to me.

Not jumping him the second that bathroom door opened revealing a shirtless Dimitri was the hardest thing I have ever done. He had packed a spare set of clothes thankfully, though he had chosen to only change into his boxers, giving me full view of his sculpted chest. I swear, a little bit of drool came out of my mouth.

I tried to keep my eyes away from his chest, staring at his face instead. He had looked better than when he had first arrive, though he still looked tired; the bags under his eyes were prominently black and he looked like he was ready to collapse. He came over to the bed, climbing in him got himself comfortable next to me, before pulling me into his arms. And that is how we had fallen asleep. We hadn't spoken – we were both too tired for that – but we didn't need too. Soon, my back was against his chest as I curled into him, his arm wrapping around my waist to pull me in tighter. With a small kiss on my shoulder, we both fell asleep.

He was still asleep now so moving was a bit difficult, but I managed it. I was facing him, his arm still around my waist – I wasn't going to lose contact if I could help it. He looked so peaceful sleeping, beautiful even – though I would never say that to his face. He would probably get embarrassed by that compliment.

Brushing a lock of hair that had fallen in front of his face away, I was able to study him. It was crazy; I could look at him all day. And I had never had a moment like this with anyone else. Truth be told, most of my "romantic entanglements" before this had lasted a night. Alright a couple of hours complete with an awkward goodbye. Or no goodbye at all if the guy was quiet enough to make it out of my room without waking me. And with Jessie, well I could just say that he wasn't the most romantic of people. And I defiantly didn't want to spend time admiring him. He had nothing on Dimitri.

"Are you having fun there?" Dimitri said gently, surprising me. His eyes opened.

"I am actually. I do love admiring a good view." He chuckled, the sleep still evident in his voice. Damn it was sexy.

"I'm pretty sure I have the best view in Boston."

"You are so full of crap." I laughed, rolling away so I could get out of the bed. But he pulled me back. In a second, he was on top of me. "You are beautiful Roza." He whispered leaning down, capturing my lips with his.

 **Janine POV**

My daughter is going to pay for everything that she has ever done for me. She is such an ungrateful bitch. Abe was such a bastard for leaving her with me. He should have taken her away when he left, but no. The bastard wanted me to suffer. So my dearest Rosemarie stayed with me becoming a real thorn in my side.

Seriously, I did everything for that girl. I made sure she had a roof over her head and clothes on her back. I couldn't afford the best because Abe had left me with nothing, but the bitch got everything she needed. And I fucking worked for it too. I became a Doctor whilst she was still in diapers; I made a name for myself as one of the best psycho therapist this side of the Mississippi. Everybody knew my name; that's what drove Abe away.

The bastard, seriously, that mans ego couldn't handle the attention I was getting. Of course I wasn't going to fucking cheat on him, I loved him but he didn't trust me. He didn't like me sitting in with patients, especially the male ones. He just didn't fucking understand that it was my Job. Yes it was important to me, because I had worked so fucking hard for it. But no, he couldn't accept that.

Apparently being a mother should be the most important thing to me. That was what he kept saying to me. Who the fuck did he think he married? There was no way I was going to become his pathetic little housewife, trapped in a house with only a baby to talk to when he went out and did whatever he wanted.

But then he left. He couldn't take it anymore, he had said, leaving me with a screaming child and a shit load of debt. I had to handle everything on my own from that point on, and Rosemarie really didn't understand how hard that was on me.

She drove me crazy until she turned about

And I certainly wasn't responsible for her mistakes. I didn't like her fucking around, but it wasn't as if I could control her. There was no way she was ever going to listen to me – she was way too much of a daddy's girl. Even though he had abandoned us, she still thought the sun shone out of his fucking ass. It wasn't fair. I was there for her. For years I was the one that did everything for her. And did she fucking appreciate it? No. Of course she didn't.

What hurt the most was she looked so much like him. She had his fucking smile. It wasn't fair. Every time she was happy was like a knife to my heart, because all I saw was his smile.

"Janine Hathaway." A guard said, coming up to my cell. Thankfully, I was the only one in here "You're free to go."

Thank fuck my one phone call worked. Of course he would come and get me, Jessie was my good boy. He certainly was handsome too. A little young for me, but a couple of bottles of vodka helped me get out that little fact.

Yeah I know Rose had walked in on us, but she had to find out at some point didn't she? When they had broken up, I was so relieved. Finally, we could stop sneaking around behind her back and – best of all – she didn't know about us. It wasn't that hard to hide, I didn't come to Boston often. But every time we did, he would always sneak away from her to come see me. Such a good boy he is as well. And I did a good job covering up as well, like that whole confrontation in the kitchen. There was no way she was every going to suspect that I was one of the women Jessie had been cheating on her with if I pushed her to get back together with him.

"Hey." I smiled, but he didn't respond. In fact, he actually looked angry. "Let's go." He grunted.

"What's wrong baby?" I smiled, getting in the passenger side of his car. The alcohol I had drunk last night had worn off by now but I didn't have a hangover. I could handle my alcohol pretty well. Sunlight on the other hand was always a bitch. My eyes started to hurt as he drove. "You're fucking daughter is what's wrong."

"Hey, at least you didn't end up getting locked up. I can't believe she fucking did that to me."

"She's got a new guy."

"You're joking right?"

"She thinks can replace me with a Russian cowboy; she's got another thing coming."

"Calm down baby. Look, is it really so bad if she has a new guy? I mean, because now we can be together." I smiled. It would defiantly be nice if I could settle down again. Kirova would give me a permanent job – that's why I was here really. Yeah she had asked me to give a talk to the psych interns but as per usual, she had a different agenda. She had offered me the job before, but I hadn't wanted to take it. Maybe I should now. Then I could be close to Jessie.

"He's not right for her okay?"

"You're still looking out for her?" I loved how caring he was, but a little jealousy flared. He had me, he didn't need her anymore.

"Of course I am." He smiled at me, making my insecurities melt away. A new start in Boston might be exactly what I needed. The only problem would be Rosemarie.

 **Rose POV**

"So, Jessie came by the hospital yesterday." Dimitri said, biting into his sandwich. We were sitting in the bed eating room service – there was no way I was going to leave this room if I didn't have to. But his words had made my stomach drop.

"He did what now?"

"He wanted to talk to me."

"What?" That boy wouldn't give up. For fuck sake, he really was the gift that kept on giving wasn't he – note the sarcasm.

"Rose –"

"If you tell me to calm down I'm going to slap you." I threatened, but he smiled. Putting his food down, he had me on his lap in seconds, his arms circling my waist.

"He scared me Roza."

"Excuse me?" I was shocked. Dimitri didn't seem like the type of guy to get scared easily – in fact I was pretty sure nothing scared him. Well, until now. What had Jessie done?

"I should have put him in the psych ward myself, the way he was rambling on. Yeah, psychology isn't my strong suit, but I can see he has a pretty deep obsession with you."

"Oh fuck" I rested my head on his chest, wanting to get lost in him. I had been thinking about it too, and Dimitri's words were making sense. "What the hell am I going to do Comrade?"

"Don't you mean what are we going to do?"

"Dimitri, I don't need-"

"I don't care. I am not going to let you go through this alone."

"Look, if you're involved you could get hurt. Who knows what Jessie would do? Yeah, he may have used words this time, but next time-"

"You think I can't handle him?" He sounded offended. Pulling away from his chest, I looked at his face. I could see the worry lines forming on his forehead. The urge to kiss him was strong, the care evident on his face sending my emotions haywire. Except Lissa – and by extension Christian – I wasn't used to people caring about me.

My voice softened, trying not to offend him. "I don't want you to have to handle him. He's my past, my mistake to fix."

"We all make mistakes Roza."

"Ever made a mistake like Jessie?"

"Yes, I have. There are some things that have happened in my past that I am not proud of."

Those words sparked curiosity in me, but I could tell he wouldn't talk about it now. I would have to wait to find out about it. He was too focused on Jessie right now to divulge any of his secrets; though I couldn't picture anyone cheating on Dimitri. He was too damned perfect.

"I need you to promise me something Roza."

"Okay?"

"Be careful, please. I wouldn't be able to handle it if anything happened to you." His words hit me hard. I hadn't spent much time thinking about how deep we were getting. But his words made me think that this was more than just a fling to the both of us. Even if he hadn't told me yet, the emotion was evident in his eyes.

This was going too fast. Oh god, what was happening between us? We hadn't even gone on a freaking date yet, but this man had already save me from one awkward encounter with my ex, had comforted me after a very traumatic breakfast with Janine and – I was guessing here since Dimitri hadn't actually told me what he had said – had been threatened by Jessie. And he hadn't run away or stopped texting me or any of the usual tricks guys pull to get out of a relationship. In fact, he had come straight to me about this. No tricks or lies, there was genuine care in his voice. He was worried about me.

I wasn't just falling anymore. I knew I was in love with this man.

"I promise I'll be careful." I whispered, sealing the promise with a kiss.

It was gentle and soft, the kind that made me feel safe and wanted – which was still a feeling I had to get used too. But the kiss didn't stay that way. He deepened it, becoming a little desperate as his arms kept me pinned to his chest – though I didn't feel trapped. Twisting around, I was straddling him again for a minute, until he flipped us over. Now that he was on top the kiss become fast. I had never been so turned on in my life; the urge to kick off all my clothes so I could have him in me was so strong. The only thing stopping me was his hands that were pinning my wrists above my head.

He broke the kiss, allowing me to breathe again, but his lips didn't stop. Travelling down my neck as he kissed and sucked at the sensitive skin he found one of my weak spots in seconds, making me moan as he attacked it with his teeth. I could feel him harden against me as I started to move my hips; I wanted as much contact with him as possible. But he had me stuck between wanting the torture to stop, and not wanting the pleasure to end; his mouth driving me crazy making me feel like I was going to explode with every touch.

I didn't think it was possible to cum from a kiss, but the way he was driving me crazy had me so on edge, just a little touch would make me explode.

My phone vibrated on the bed side table. And, just like that, the spell was broken. He broke away panting, sitting up as he let my wrists go. I missed the contact immediately, wanting to pull him back down to me. Whoever was texting me better have a good fucking reason for interrupting the hottest make out session I had ever had in my life.

Dimitri swore under his breath as he moved. I could see a sizable bulge forming in his pants that made me want to jump on him all over again. This guy was turning me into a mad woman. He made his way to the bathroom, muttering something about resisting temptation as I looked at my phone.

 _Janine made bale. Jessie picked her up earlier. – Ivan_

For fucks sake.


End file.
